


LOGAN 3.0

by Demented_Dukey, Intellectual_Homosexual_Logan



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Banter, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Bloodplay, Dark Sides, Double Entendre, Eventual Happy Ending, Family Secrets, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Innuendo, Intrulogical, Knifeplay, M/M, Misunderstandings, Near Death Experiences, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Sympathetic Characters, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, Sympathetic Remus Sanders, gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day, pop culture references, shameless flirting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-10-05 22:03:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 54,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20496044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demented_Dukey/pseuds/Demented_Dukey, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Intellectual_Homosexual_Logan/pseuds/Intellectual_Homosexual_Logan
Summary: Remus is an incorrigible flirt, and Logan can only bear the innuendo for so long until something has to give. Passions erupt, but there's more lasting repercussions than either could have predicted, including a significant transformation to Logan himself! How will these new changes affect the delicate balance of Thomas's mental state? When a new dark side threatens the lives of several of the other sides, will Logan and Remus's love be strong enough to save everyone, including Thomas?





	1. Witty Banter

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warnings: No character deaths, but a lot of very close calls. Consensual knife play and bloodplay in chapter 5, and lots of bloody fighting and monster attacks. If you’re sensitive to unsympathetic characters, some parts flirt pretty close to that, but there’s also a lot of extenuating circumstances to explain the situation, and there’s a happy ending once you get through the angst and misunderstandings. Self harm and references to such, and suicidal tendencies.

Logic and Bad Creativity had been disputing all day, and as late as it was now, it didn't seem like they were going to stop any time soon.

Logan crossed his arms as he leaned against the stairs in the common area, staring nonchalantly at the Dark Side before him. “You don’t get to me in the slightest, Remus. You never have. Object impermanence renders you pretty unintimidating.”

Remus smirked in his regular cocky way, suggestively stroking the ninja star that he held in his hands. “Is that so, Nerdy Wolverine?” His voice was smooth and unbothered.

Logan nodded. “Yes, it IS, you foul and infatuated goat.” He spat, but Remus just smiled. 

“Ooh, thank you for the metaphorical regards! ‘Foul’ and ‘goat-like’ is what I’m going for!” he said, clapping his hands excitedly. “I thought it might be a fun change from the pickled poo logs.”

Logan frowned, rather frustrated that his attempted insult had backfired. “Ah. I see. Would it bother you then if I were to call you nice and harmless? Cherubic? How about spritely? Were I to call you caring and loving,  _ especially _ towards your brother, would that bother you, Remus?” He remarked, but Remus just shrugged off the innuendo and giggled.

“I love how hard you try, it’s so cute!” he cooed. He then approached the logical side, letting his fingertips slide down Logan’s tie suggestively. “If you’re  _ interested _ , I’d be  _ happy  _ to provide you a  _ personal  _ show of just how loving I can be?” He said with a wink and a dirty grin.

Logan forced a smile as he ignored Remus' suggestive actions. “Well, while that offer is certainly tempting, Remus, I am going to have to decline. I’m not exactly sure how I would put up with your lunacy, and I also doubt that the others would find this offer very… acceptable.” He stated, bringing a scoff from Remus.

“Those spoilsports would never have to know,” he winked at Logan. “I can be  _ covert _ if you’d like.”

Logan gave him a dead-eyed stare. “Can you? Well, Remus, as I said before, all I would ever do is figuratively dress you down. That is all.”

Remus’ eyes lit up. “OH! Well, if that’s what you wanted, Logan,” he unzipped his pants. “You could’ve just said so!”

Logan shook his head, holding up his hand. “AH AH AH AH. I said,  _ FIGURATIVELY.  _ And  _ that  _ is why I say it. That. Is. Why. I. Say. It!” He clapped his hands with each word. He let out a deep breath. "I don't just spout random words without meaning!!  _ I say things for a reason!" _

Remus’s expression fell into a frown, and he slowly zipped his pants back up. “Poopy...” he muttered sadly.

Logan groaned. "Oh, stop pouting. It’s not a good look for a royal man. Even if that man is you.” 

Remus perked up, mood swinging as wildly as a pendulum, “Aw, Logan, you notice my looks? I’m flattered!” He said joyously. 

Logan’s ears flushed a bit, realizing his mistake all too late. “No, I don’t. I just don’t exactly see a grown man whining and pouting as a productive thing to be doing.” He restated.

“It can be  _ very  _ productive to make a grown man whine if you’re  _ doing _ it right.” Remus smirked, leering at him.

Logan’s face immediately went red. “ _ That is not what I meant and you KNOW IT.”  _ He defended quickly.

Remus shrugged, hands held up defensively, a big smile across his face. “Perhaps. Much like your lascivious thoughts, I just  _ love _ showing up where I’m not invited,” he punctuated his words with a quick shimmy.

Logan’s eyes shot open. “WHA-” His flustered mind tried to find the words. “‘Lascivious’?! What on Earth would ever lead you to say that  _ I _ , the VOICE OF REASON, would ever have such provocative thoughts?!” He spluttered, then he took a long breath, managing to calm himself. “And in all honesty, I believe that we are used to you showing up where you’re not invited by now, Remus. In fact, you just showing up is exactly that, because no one ever wants to invite you.” He snarked. 

Remus tilted his head. “Deny it all you want, Neil deGr _ ASS _ Tyson. You can’t block out  _ all  _ the juicy stuff.” He cooed with a little dance of sexual innuendo.

Logan put a hand to his face, groaning. “Please do not say ‘juicy’ in that context ever again.”

Remus opened his mouth, held up his finger, then clicked his tongue. “...Juicy  _ butthole _ ?” He questioned, to which Logan just froze, then let out an exasperated breath. 

“REMUS. THAT IS WORSE.” 

Remus frowned. “Did...did I say something wrong? Are you...are you gonna  _ punish  _ me, Teach?” He wondered, just bringing another sigh from Logan. 

“Remus, why do you insist on trying to bother me?”

Remus ran his fingers over his mustache. “It’s no bother, I assure you! I’m only trying to  _ help _ , you seem so tense, my dear disciplinarian.” 

Logan adjusted his glasses with a breath. “I am told that I always seem that way. Whilst, in fact, I am very relaxed.” 

Remus flicked his eyebrows up. "Like the eye of a storm? You should let the tempest rage sometimes…” He slunk closer. “And I don’t mind getting a little wet.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “You, sir, are despicable.”

Remus stuck his tongue out. “I like to call myself de-lickable.”

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. “NO.” He said sternly.

Remus put a finger to his chin in a suggestive manner. “Ooh, I love it when you raise your voice. Please, sir, what are your  _ demands _ ?” He drawled out.

Logan’s face sported the most unamused expression. “That you stop flirting with me. Don’t assume that I’m not aware of what you’re trying to do.”

Remus licked his lips. “Skip the appetizer and jump straight into the main course? As you wish!” He tore off his shirt as easily as lifting a feather. Logan’s eyes went wide and he waved his hands frantically. 

“NO. NO, NO, NO. PUT YOUR SHIRT BACK ON RIGHT NOW, REMUS, OR I WILL SUMMON DECEIT TO REIGN YOU IN.” He ordered.

“Kinky! If you wanted a threesome, count me in! I LOVE being given two D’s at once!” Remus winked at him again, a seemingly regular occurrence. “My safe word is ‘apples’.” He then laughed. “I’m just kidding! I don’t  _ have  _ a safe word!”

Logan grabbed at his hair with an aggravated groan. “NO! REMUS, STOP! STOP THIS INCESSANT MADNESS!” He exclaimed desperately, to which Remus drew back a bit.

“Careful, Teach. Your calm is wearing a bit thin. I’d be  _ happy  _ to ruffle more than your feathers, if you know what I mean…” He flirted. 

The intellectual let out a deep breath. “I-” He couldn’t even make a sound other than angry flustered noises. “Please stop…” He finally got out, spinning away as he shook his head.

Remus hesitated, then he shrugged. “I changed my mind. I’m unpredictable like that, I don’t think you could handle all this,” he said as he shimmied. He then pulled his shirt back over his head gracefully. “Free show’s over. Wasted on you, anyways. You’re obviously too much of a brainiac to appreciate more  _ physical  _ pleasures.”

Logan rubbed his face with his hands. “Remus, please…” His voice was exasperated.

Remus’ voice became skeptical. “Had a change of  _ heart _ ? Doesn’t seem like that’s in your purview.”

Logan shook his head with a sigh. “No, Remus, that is not what I am trying to say.” He whirled around, his tolerance almost worn through. “Why are you so fascinated with  _ ME _ ? Why not go bother your brother or something? Why are you  _ flirting  _ with me?” He questioned, a tired tone to his voice.

Remus was quiet for a moment, eyeing Logan slowly. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re a smart boy, Logan. Brilliant, even. Is it any wonder that I can’t look away from your brilliance?” A kind smile was offered. “You shine so brightly. You can hardly blame a moth for being attracted to the flame.”

Logan blinked in surprise, trying to process what he had just heard. “Wh-...You truly think of me so highly? I…” He didn’t know what to say.

Remus shrugged. “The others make it quite  _ clear  _ that they consider me below you all. How else could a lowly creature such as myself look upon you, but as if atop a pedestal?” He wondered.

Logan was still struggling to process this, but when he heard Remus’ statement, he suddenly realised something. “Remus, I… I have never considered you lower than anyone. I know that we all play our own parts, and no one is below anyone else.” He bit his lip. “As much as I sometimes despise your thinking, you are still an imperative part of our existence. You are Roman’s other half. If you were neglected, Roman would suffer. I have always valued your input, as odd as it can be. It is creativity in your own, unique way.”

He glanced to the side. “You… you shouldn’t feel like you have to annoy us all the time just to get noticed and to make you feel like a part of the group. I…I’ll always…” Logan hesitated, thinking on his words.

“Remus, I’ll always acknowledge you. As I said before, you don’t really affect me as much as the others. Granted, you can still irritate me, but I won’t ignore you. I just...want you to know that.” He said softly, finally raising his head.

Remus blinked a few times, twitching a bit, then he rubbed the back of his head, brushing his sleeves down as he tried to play it off that he wasn’t completely stunned by the words of the Logical side. “No need to pity me, Professor Plum-pbottom. I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than  _ below _ you, where you can really  _ value  _ my  _ input _ .” He said, a smirk crossing his face.

Logan sighed in slight disappointment. “Remus, it  _ was  _ starting to become a nice moment.” He said with a frown.

Remus sent him a brittle grin. “Yeah, well. My brother’s the  _ nice  _ one, not me. That should be obvious enough for you to see it, even without those glasses.” He spat, a bit of pain lingering.

Logan nodded, closing his eyes. “Apologies. I just thought for a moment that you had started to act...well...decent.” He admitted.

Remus laughed, the sound a bit too high-pitched to be casual. “Bite your tongue! I’m as  _ indecent _ as they come!” 

Logan raised an eyebrow, rubbing his chin with his hand as a small smirk appeared across his face. “Am I making you nervous, Remus?” He asked.

Remus seemed to tense up. “Nervous? Me?” He ran his hand through his hair with a flourish, bringing an even higher eyebrow from Logan. “Surely, you jest.”

Logan flicked his eyebrows up. “Well, the reason I asked is due to the fact that your entire demeanor just changed. You are now exhibiting tics that one will make when feeling a bit nervous, including unnecessary fiddling, forcefully laughing or laughing nervously, your eyes seem to have a spark of uncertainty to them, and I can hear the quake in your voice, however almost incoherent it may be.” He flicked his hand at Remus’ wide eyes. “I am LOGIC, Remus. Don’t think that I don’t notice these things.”

Remus blinked his wide eyes, then took a very small unconscious step back. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but hardly any noise came out. “I…”

Logan shook his head. “Remus, it’s okay,” his voice was soft and comforting. “Why are you nervous?”

The Duke bit his lip and turned his gaze away from Logan, who was oddly curious at the Dark Side’s behavior. “Remus? Are you okay?”

Remus finally mustered the will to form words, fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve as he frowned. “M’not worth it. You’re...you’re  _ better  _ than me, Lo. I’m not fit to lick your shoes.” He offered a half-hearted dirty grin. “I’d still lick ‘em, though.” 

He took a shaky breath. “But, you deserve…” He swallowed hard. “You deserve better. And I…” He tore his eyes away, his voice breaking. “I  _ can’t  _ be that for you. Any goodness I had? That all went to Roman. I’m just…”

A hard and shaky breath escaped his lips. “I’m just what’s left behind.”

Logan’s eyes had gone wide, then he reached out to put his hand on the other’s arm. “Remus…”

The Duke flinched from the touch as Logan held his arm. “Listen to me. That is no way to think. Please. Just...give  _ yourself  _ some credit. I can see what good there is in you that you may not even know you have. But I know it’s there.” He pressed his finger to the center of Remus’ chest, poking him. “It’s right there.”

Remus sighed, then shook his head. “For somebody so good at calling out falsehoods, you seem awfully fond of telling them to yourself.” He put a hand to his chest, shaking his head again. “There’s  _ nothing  _ here, Lo. Nothing but filth and trash, the impure dregs of Creativity that not even Thomas could accept.” He closed his eyes. “You said it yourself, ‘no one ever wants to invite you’. There’s nothing in me that any of you want around, and if Thomas could get rid of me without hurting Roman, I would have been destroyed long ago. As it was, I was exiled to the darkest parts of Thomas’ subconscious… not exactly something you would do to someone who was ‘good’, now would you?” He bit his lip hard. “It’s only  _ logical _ , after all. If you’re thrown away, you must be trash.” He muttered under his breath.

Logan stood frozen to the spot, his heart stopped after realizing what he’d done. “Remus, I’m so sorry… What I said before… you didn’t deserve that. You don’t deserve  _ any  _ of this… any of how we’ve treated you.” He squeezed Remus’ arm. “We-...  _ I  _ am so sorry.” He then turned his head aside, hanging low. “This is probably my fault…”

Remus scrubbed his eyes roughly. “But whatever, right? It doesn't matter. I don't care. I'm  _ fine _ . Better than fine, actually. With all those goody-good traits sent to Roman, I'm fucking  _ free _ . I can do whatever the hell I want to, and you losers can't stop me anymore.” His voice cracked as much as he tried to stop it.

A strike of pain crossed Logan’s face. “R-Remus, I never meant to hurt you…” He took Remus’ hand in his own. “I never meant for you to feel this way.” Logan sighed. “I know you may  _ think _ you’re ‘free’ now, but isn’t it better to be tied to friends than be free and lonely?” Asked the scholar.

Remus took a deep breath, struggling with the urge to flinch, to rip his hand away. “How…” He closed his eyes. “How  _ the hell  _ would I know, Logan? I don’t…” He swallowed hard before speaking again. “I don’t  _ remember _ what it was like ...before. Before  _ me _ . And me? I’ve  _ never _ had friends. So...how would I know the difference?”

Logan blinked, then he lifted his eyebrow. “What about Deceit? I thought he was your friend?” He then shook his head “But that’s not what I’m trying to say. Remus,  _ I care about you _ .” His voice cracked as he squeezed Remus’ hand tighter, not letting him slip away. “I just don’t want you to be alone.”

Remus scoffed. “ Deceit's a lot of things. A confidant. A co-conspirator. A companion. But he's... not a  _ friend _ .” He squeezed Logan’s hand back, his knuckles turning white. “Please... please don't, Lo. I... I can't. I can't hope. It hurts too much. I've lost so much already, I'm not strong enough to lose anything else.”

Logan gritted his teeth then threw himself onto Remus with a tight embrace, hugging him close. “YOU'RE NOT LOSING ANYTHING, REMUS. YOU'RE  _ GAINING _ . I PROMISE.” He let out a small breath. “I'll always be here for you…”

Remus shuddered, then crumpled bonelessly into the embrace, clinging to Logan like an octopus. He buried his face in Logan's shoulder, shaking as he cried. “You can't... you can't promise that. The Others... they wouldn't approve. You  _ said _ .”

Logan leaned his head atop Remus', rubbing his back comfortingly. “I don't give a  _ damn _ what the others think anymore. If they don't approve, then I'll  _ make _ them understand.” He held Remus tighter. “You won't be alone. I won't let you be alone. I  _ do _ promise you that.”

Remus continued to cry, pressing his face into the crook of Logan’s neck. ** “** But Thomas…” He hiccupped from his sobs. “Even if the Others don't... if Thomas... it won't work. It  _ can't _ work.”

Logan sighed. “Yes it can. I'm positive it can. We just all need to work together to figure this all out.” He comforted Remus, hushing him softly. “Look, Remus. When I tell you that I will do anything to make you feel happy, I am not leading you falsely. I...I just want...to see you...smiling.” A small grin crept onto his face. “I love your smile…”

Remus sniffled, looking up. “If you're lying... I'll slit my own throat.” He whispered. He thought about it for a moment, the kiss of metal as it slides across his throat, the blood achingly warm as it spills out, and smiled at the mental image, grin sharp as a blade. “It may not kill me for long, but I'll do it.” He gently touched his own throat, where faint scars were visible. “I've done it before, after all…”

Logan’s eyes went wide. “What?! Why would you ever do such a thing, Remus?” He cried out, concerned. “And why do you seem so content about doing it?!”

Remus blinked as his smile faded. “Why? I... I don't… It's not... it's just object impermanence. Like you said. It doesn't matter what I do. It all goes away eventually.” He said simply.

Logan shook his head. “But...why would you do it?”

Remus shrugged with a sigh. ** “** I just... I just wanted to see. The first time. I thought... maybe it would be better. If I could take myself out of the equation. But, it didn't work, not for long. I came back.” He rubbed the back of his head. “After that... well. you're the scientist. You should know. Any hypothesis demands repeated trials to confirm that the data is sound. And I figured... why not keep trying? Maybe eventually it'd stick. Whatever oblivion is like, it couldn't be worse than  _ this _ .”

Logan’s eyes widened. “Couldn't be worse than this?! Remus, I CARE ABOUT YOU!! Ple-” His voice cracked. “Please! Why can't you see that?”

Remus flinched. “...That's what I've been trying to tell you. This is why it won't work. I'm  _ wrong _ . I'm not the kind of broken that you can fix. You can't mend a shattered mirror just by caring about it, and you're only going to cut yourself trying. The things that I do, the things that I like... they're illogical. There's no rhyme or reason to what I do, I just do.” He sighed. “And what I  _ do _ is wreak havoc. You should stay away from me, for your own good.

Logan stood his ground, his eyes serious. ** “** NO.”

“Logan, please…”

Logan’s voice was strong, meeting Remus' eyes as tears formed in his own. “No, Remus. I AM NOT STAYING AWAY FROM YOU. I DON'T CARE IF YOU _THINK_ YOU CAN’T BE MENDED. I **_KNOW_** YOU CAN BE!!!” His shoulders began to shake as he leaned his head on Remus'. “Please… I love you…”

Remus' eyes went wide. "But...all that you've been saying...you kept telling me not to flirt with you-"

"Because I thought it was too good to be true!" Logan exclaimed, shaking his head. "I...I thought I wouldn't ever be lucky enough to have someone actually flirt with me. But you did. And I just didn't know what to do." He admitted, and the Duke sighed with understanding.

Remus held Logan, cradling him, stroking his hair. Gently, he murmured, “I’m not a project or one of your experiments. You might…” He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “You might _love_ me now, but it’s better to nip this in the bud. You have such high expectations of me, and I'm just going to disappoint you. You'll get frustrated, and your feelings will sour... it's better this way. Better to stop while we still can, to shut it down before the Others find out.”

Logan finally let his emotions fully break down the wall he had put up. Pushing his face into Remus' neck, tears and sobs wracked his body. “N-No...I know y-you're not an experiment, R-Remus, b-but I just w-want to have you with me... d-damn the others... I love you!”

He grasped the cloth of Remus' shirt. “Why do you think I've always stood up for you? Or been the one to acknowledge what you're saying as NOT hurtful! I know it may seem like I haven't been fond of you in the past, but I LOVE YOU, Remus! Nothing will change that!”

He tilted his head up, his eyes wide behind his smudged glasses, and his expression made him seem like a wounded puppy or a lost child. “Remus, please…” He sniffed back his tears, feeling more vulnerable than ever in his life. "What I said was true! I'd never imagined that I'd be blessed to find someone I liked, and then of all the things that could happen, I get flirted on by the one man I'm completely smitten with!!! How am I supposed to react to that? All I'm able to do is just blurt out 'I love you' again and again because that is the only thought my mind is processing right now. That I love you."

Remus opened his mouth, his lip quivering. ** “** I…” His voice began to break. “I love you too, Lo.” He hugged him hard, holding him tight against the shaking. “I love you  _ so damn much _ . I've loved you as long as I can remember.” He rubbed the back of Logan’s head gently. “I've always been yours.” He closed his eyes. “That's why... that's why I kept teasing you, kept taunting you. I was desperate for any scrap of attention you'd toss my way.”

Logan chuckled softly. “You did all that, and all this time I thought it was just false flirting. I thought it was wishful thinking…” He looked up at Remus, a smile growing on his face. “Will you...will you stay? With me? We could be together.” A hint of hope crossed his voice as he leaned his head on Remus' shoulder. “We could be together…” The whispered echo resonated between the two.

Remus was weak, and his thoughts were running a marathon. He was weak, and he was selfish, and he was impulsive, and he couldn't keep resisting that when he was holding everything he'd ever wanted in his arms. He still thought it was going to end badly, but for the first time, he hoped that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong. He had nothing left to lose, and everything to win. And besides, even if it  _ did _ end badly, at least he'd have it while it lasted. “Okay. Yeah, Lo, I'll stay. I'll stay with you as long as you'll have me, and they'll have to break every one of my fingers to tear me away.”

Logan's smile could have blinded anyone else with its brightness, so caring and happy. Petting Remus' hair, he met his eyes with happy tears. “I'll be here for you the whole way, and they'd have to pry me away with the strongest bar to take me away from you.” His smile grew. “I love you.”

Hooking his arms around Remus' neck, he pulled him close, smiling as he finally had everything he wanted. The man who he had secretly loved for years was in his arms, in a kiss, and there was nothing that could possibly make Logan happier.

Offhandedly, Remus wondered if he was dead, if one of his suicide attempts had finally worked - because surely this was heaven. Logan was warm in his arms, his mouth soft and sweet, and Remus drank in Logan's affection like a sponge, gorging himself on it. “You're such a dork,” he murmured between kisses, “and I love you so fucking much.”

Logan smirked as he ran his fingers through Remus' hair as their lips connected again and again. “I think this officially makes us boyfriends, Rem.” He closed his eyes as his mouth was filled with a taste that was uniquely Remus, loving the longed-for affection. “I love you too, my own mischievous troublemaker. I wouldn’t ask for you any other way.”


	2. Gotcha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan and Remus aren't very subtle, and someone finds out. They do not handle it well.

Logan walked into the Common Area to see Remus sitting on the floor, fussing over something. “Remus?”

The Duke was  distractedly making butts out of green play-doh, then he looked up, a smile spreading on his face. “Oh! Hey, pocket protector.” He offered him a buttocks. “Check out this ass!”

Logan sighed. “Remus, how old are you?” He asked in a slightly nagging tone.

Remus gave him a wide grin. “Sixty-nine. Give or take a few decades?”

Logan then smirked. “Really? I would have said forty-two, because you're the meaning to my life.” He winked.

Remus splayed a hand to his chest. “I’m flattered!” He jumped up and sidled closer to Logan.  **“** Don't panic... but I've got a  _ towel _ with your name on it.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Logan raised an eyebrow with an amused grin. ** “** Goodness, Remus, someone is rather excited today.”

Remus put his hands on his hips. ** “** Can't help it, Lo-beau. One look at your gorgeous face and you've got me all  _ aquiver _ .” He said as he shimmied.

Logan offered a casual smile. ** “** Remus, I cannot help it if I make you 'aquiver' as you say. However, I  _ can _ do something to remedy that.”

Remus’ eyes sparked. ** “** Oh yeah?” He asked excitedly. “What are you plotting in that deviously magnificent big brain of yours?”

Logan stepped closer, running his fingers through Remus’ hair. “Oh, I just thought you might desire a bit of affection, that's all.” He leaned forward to press his lips on Remus', one hand on his waist and the other holding the back of his head.

Remus shivered, going pliant and boneless in Logan's arms. “You thought right.” He kissed Logan back, sucking and nipping on his bottom lip, tongue seeking entry to Logan's mouth.

Logan gladly accepted, his fingers grabbing at Remus' messy hair, loving the feeling of his tongue sliding with Remus' and the hand on his back that held him close. “You're fantastic…” He pulled away for a moment, meeting his love's eyes. “Have you told anyone yet? About us?”

Remus moaned at the taste of Logan's tongue against his. All the years of talking had given the man tongue muscles to die for, and Remus got flushed just imagining all the things that tongue might do to him. He blinked as Logan pulled away, and it took him a moment to pull enough blood back to the correct brain in order to process the question.

“Hmm? Oh, no, not yet. Been busy in the Imagination.” It wasn’t  _ really _ a fib, the Others rarely sought out his company, so he mostly spent his time distracting himself from the boredom. He bit his lip nervously. “Have you?”

Logan shook his head. “Of course, I haven't. I wouldn't have told anyone due to your reaction about us initially being together. But as I said before, I don't care what the others think. If they look down on me for this, so be it, that is their error because nothing could be better for me than you, Remus.”

Remus bit back his first thought (a  _ lot _ of things could be better for Lo) and his second thought (of  _ course _ Logan hadn't told anyone, he was ashamed/embarrassed/humiliated by Remus's feelings, he'd changed his mind and hadn't figured out how to let Remus down easy yet) and his third thought (What if a meteor fell and hit the earth right  _ now _ and the ceiling fell and Thomas became a quadriplegic - would the Sides lose limbs too???) and settled on his fourth thought. “How... how did you want to tell them?”

Very little actually scared Remus, but the thought of the others  _ knowing _ was on the short list of things that downright terrified him. But Logan was a Good Guy, he'd want his friends to know his boyfriend. Logan wasn't the kind of guy to date someone in secret, and Remus wasn't exactly subtle on the best of days. It was only a matter of time before Remus made a dirty joke or accidentally said something in front of the Others, so it was better to break the news to them first.

Logan scrunched up his face. “Well, in all honesty, I hadn't thought that far. I believed that just for now we could attempt to hide it, but I can tell when you are nervous about something, and upon my very mentioning it, you seemed to react. So I am not sure, but if you think we  _ should _ tell them, then perhaps we can find a way.”

Remus cursed himself. Spending so much time alone in the Imagination, he'd gotten out of practice hiding his feelings (not that the embodiment of Intrusive Thoughts was ever good at hiding anything when his job was the opposite). “No! No, it's fine. There's no rush, right? We can hide it for now.” 

Logan still looked suspicious. ‘ _ Fuck! Need a distraction _ ’. “Besides, I'd rather have you all to myself for a little longer.” Remus' fingers threaded through Logan's hair, tugging his head back, and Remus licked a long strip up that delicious, pale throat, before kissing his way back down to suck a hickey onto Logan's adam's apple.

Logan's breath drew short in surprise, then a smile twitched the corners of his mouth up as he moaned. He wrapped his arms around Remus and pulled him back, stumbling backwards to fall onto the couch. “R-Remus…” He bit his lip as the other sucked harder. “You'll al-always have me to yourself.” He turned his head, leaning back against the couch with a sigh, twirling Remus' hair between his fingers.

Remus had quickly decided that straddling Logan's lap on the couch was the BEST IDEA EVER and his boyfriend was BRILLIANT for thinking of it. He didn't bother arguing with Logan's words - Remus might be underused himself, but he had a general idea of how much the Light Sides worked and how often Thomas called them forward for the videos. Remus knew there was a lot of Logan's time consumed by the host and the Others, but he was inclined to be selfish for the moment. Fingers in his hair short-circuited his train of thought, and Remus moaned, tilting his head towards the touch.

Logan chuckled, rubbing Remus' head gently. “You're enjoying this, aren't you, Remus? Being with someone, I mean. I understand how you've been...well…” He didn't want to use the word 'alone' for fear of hurting his boyfriend, so he just avoiding speaking it altogether. “...Since you and Roman were together. But you don't have to worry, Remus.” He moved his head to kiss the forehead of his lover. “I'll make sure that you are never alone again.” His hands scooched Remus closer to him, rubbing his back gently.

Logan's words were gentle, but Remus hated being bared emotionally when he'd much rather be bared physically. A tiny voice in the back of his mind told him he was wasting time - Logan was bound to come to his senses eventually, for they were in the common room, christ, one of the others could walk in on them at any  _ second _ . Remus let himself be scooched closer, capturing Logan's mouth with his own. He explored the warm cavern with his tongue, taking the time to lick each of Logan's teeth.

“I love your cuspids…” Remus moaned, poking the sharp canine teeth with the tip of his tongue. Meanwhile, his fingers drifted down to Logan's tie, tugging the knot loose.

Logan was happier than he had been in a very long time. Perhaps ever. He had never known the warm embrace of another, the soft lips against his that were heaven, the taste of his love filling his heart with joy. Logan closed his eyes as he leaned into the kiss, Remus removing Logan's glasses for him when they drifted down his nose. He just held Remus closer, never wanting to let go. His fingers tangled in Remus' hair, curling the few silver strands in the very front around his index finger. He contently smiled as he felt the tie around his neck slide off, the top button of his shirt undone. He ran a hand across Remus' chest, caressing the exposed skin. 

“God, I love you…” He murmured, biting Remus' lip gently.

Gods above, Remus had never seen Logan look this disheveled outside of his fantasies before. Hair in disarray from Remus's fingers, glasses and tie set aside, Remus kissed the patch of skin revealed as the second button came loose. “More than your precious Crofters?” Remus teased, “Or is there a bear in Canada I'm gonna hafta hunt down in a jealous rage?”

Logan laughed, a sound he hadn't genuinely made in years. “No, you're FAR above that. There's no need for you to be worried about anything like that, Re.” He kissed Remus' forehead, his hand sliding down under the back neck of his shirt, past the tall collar to rub Remus' back, his fingers circling each vertebrae as his boyfriend continued to kiss his chest. “Nothing in the universe could take me away from you, Remus. Nothing. This...this is perfect.  _ You're _ perfect…”

A wider smile grew on his face as he nuzzled his head into Remus' hair, loving the unique smell. It wasn't bad, like anyone else would have assumed. It was...Remus. The part of him that Logan adored. Not the Remus everyone else saw. This was  _ his _ Remus.

As they embraced, a small sound made Logan look up to see one of the doors to the common area open and someone walk through. He couldn't see who without his glasses, but all he knew was that they froze immediately.

Remus preened under the praise, arching into Logan's touch like a cat. He was unused to so many compliments and they were going to his head, making him feel drunk and reckless. His entire world had narrowed down to the man in front of him, the strong arms holding him close. The previously-imagined meteor could crash down, the ceiling could fall, and he wouldn't notice. Remus concentrated on sucking a hickey onto Logan's chest, nose pressed against the open V of the black polo shirt. Logan smelled like ink and dusty old books, like forbidden knowledge and berry jam, and Remus breathed it in deep, worrying the small patch of skin to a darker red than Logan's favorite flavor of Crofters.

He smirked as he murmured, “Pity, I could use a new bearskin rug, I'd quite like to fuck you on one. In front of a roaring fire... make  _ you _ roar…”

Logan heard the words his boyfriend had spoken, a smile wanting to break across his face, but he was unable to do anything as he just stared at the person staring at the two of them “R-Remus?...” said Logan warily.

Remus hummed in response, oblivious that they were being watched. He nuzzled Logan's chest, teeth closing around the third and final button. He considered biting down hard, ripping the button off Logan's shirt and crunching it like candy between his teeth, and idly wondered how mad Logan would be if he did just that.

Logan pulled Remus' head up and looked him dead in the eye, then over his shoulder, giving a silent nod with his slightly panicked eyes. He didn't say a word, still unable to see who it was; his glasses were out of reach, and with Remus on top of him he couldn't stretch to grab them. So he just nervously swallowed, his heart skipping about four beats. “Remus…” 

All the warmth building inside Remus died in an instant, cold fear flooding through him as Logan's panicked gaze drifted to something(someone) else in the room. Now that Remus had been brought back to reality, he recognized the itching tickle in the back of his head that always grew in intensity whenever his twin was near. He'd been so distracted it must have blended in with all the other sensations, or else he'd have noticed the moment Roman had stepped into the room. Without turning, Remus muttered loud enough to address Roman, 

“Are you here for a reason, brother, or did you just rush right over 'cause you sensed I might be experiencing some actual joy?”

Roman stared at the two with wide eyes. “Wha...Remus....WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO LOGAN?! AND  _ WHY _ ?! What are you even doing here?!”

"Don't be  _ stupid _ , brother." Remus tossed a devious grin over his shoulder. "I assure you, it is  _ exactly _ what it looks like."

Roman spluttered, "What it-what it  _ looks _ like?" He stormed forward, grabbing the back of Remus's tunic and yanking hard - Remus sprawled on the floor on his back, the wind knocked out of him. In the blink of an eye, Roman's heavy boot was on the middle of his chest, pinning him to the floor, and Roman's sword was manifested and pointed at Remus's throat. "It  _ looks _ like you were molesting the Microsoft Nerd. Is it not enough to violate our space with your revolting presence, you dare to force yourself upon Logan's person, you villainous degenerate?"

Roman then felt a hand on his shoulder, and he spun around just in time for Logan's fist to fly right into his face. Both Royal brothers gasped, Roman stumbling back as Logan pushed his glasses up with an infuriated glare. “Don't make snap judgements about what was going on, Roman. And don't you  _ dare _ say anything against Remus.” 

His harsh icy cold glare never wavered, such a contrast from the warm and smiling eyes he had only moments ago, before the Prince had barged in. “If you have a  _ problem _ with this,  ** _ROMAN_ ** , then speak now.”

Remus had never been more turned on in his  _ life _ . His brave, sexy boyfriend was defending his  _ honor _ \- it was better than unicorn porn. Speaking of unicorn porn, he'd seen Logan's onesie before, and idly wondered just how freaky Logan would be willing to get with it…

Roman looked between the two, from Remus's soppy smile to Logan's icy glare. His face  _ hurt _ \- Logan had  _ never _ punched him before... something was  _ wrong _ and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. "What did you  _ do _ ?" Roman hissed at his brother.

"Won the lottery," Remus said, dreamily.

Giving that up for a lost cause, Roman confronted the more immediate threat in the room. He de-manifested the sword, and held his hands up, palms out, showing he was weaponless. "Logan..." Roman said, as if approaching a wild animal, "I'm not sure what's going on, but Remus... his powers... You might be under his control and not be aware of it..."

Logan rolled his eyes, scoffing. "You only perceive things in black and white, don't you, Roman? Well, in this instance, all you're seeing is black. Either your brother has done something bad, or he's done something worse." He crossed his arms. "Did it ever occur to you that I could have been the one to initiate it? That I could actually be with someone for the first time in my entire life?"

He shook his head and dropped his arms to his sides, closing his eyes. "Of course it didn't. Because Heaven forbid I ever receive the chance to be happy."

Logan? Initiate it? Roman wrinkled his nose, trying and failing to imagine it. "Logan, you don't know what you're saying. I've seen Remus do things like this before - he can control actions, manipulate the mind..."

From the floor, Remus groaned, letting his head thunk against the floor. It had been a  _ joke _ , a childhood prank, and at the time Deceit and Virgil had been willing to play along, pretending to be his "victims" and follow his commands so that he could pull one over on his brother. His  _ stupid _ brother, who apparently never realized it had been a game, or wondered why Remus's powers never extended to any of the light sides.

Logan groaned, shaking his head. He stepped closer to Roman, his eyes dead serious. "I'm going to put this as simply as I can for your judgemental,  _ clearly _ denying brain. I LOVE REMUS. I am the one who asked him if he would be with me. I AM THE ONE WHO PULLED US ONTO THE COUCH. We didn’t want anyone to know because of the EXACT reaction you are having!"

Logan's hands shook. "And don't you think that if Remus actually COULD manipulate someone's mind, he'd have done it to one of us already? You're so quick to judge others that you're just willing to forego all logic and reality and instead CONJURE YOUR SWORD TO SWING AT THE NEXT PERSON WHO MIGHT BE SAYING SOMETHING YOU DON'T LIKE!"

His face was wrought with fury, and the other two in the room had truly never seen him even close to that mad. It was honestly almost terrifying.

Roman was astonished, mouth agape. He thought he'd seen Logan furious before (the nerd was kinda fun to tease), but this was something else. It was dangerous to poke Logan when he was riled up, but Roman lived for danger, and the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, "Says the nerd who hit me in the  _ eye _ with a  _ vocab card _ ! And- And Remus conjours his morningstar  _ way _ more often than I do my sword!!!" Okay, that last bit had come out in a bit of a whine, but Roman had come out into the commons to have a good time, maybe watch a Disney movie, and honestly he was feeling  _ so attacked _ right now.

Logan raised his eyebrow, crossing his arms and forcing down his anger. "You're throwing a temper tantrum? Really?"

He glanced at Remus on the floor, then shoved past Roman to grab his hand, hoisting him to his feet, the logical side much stronger than the others knew. He hugged him, leaning his forehead against Remus'. 

"I'm sorry, Remus, but do you mind if I teach your brother some 'manners'?"

Roman shuddered at the word and the way Logan had spoken it, with no remorse and a hint of malice.

Remus bit back a moan, shivering against Logan. Violence as foreplay? His boyfriend was PERFECT. "Please _ do _ !"

Roman's fingers itched to yank Remus away again, to re-manifest his sword, but that hadn't worked so well the first time and Roman  _ did _ learn from his mistakes. Then again, Logan's voice was  _ awfully _ threatening, maybe re-manifesting his sword wasn't that bad of an idea…

Logan spun around with stern eyes and stared down the Creative side. Stalking up to him, he grabbed the front of Roman's tunic and dragged him close, inches away from his face. 

"Listen carefully, Princey, or you'll meet my fist again. You will  _ not _ say anything bad about this. Understand? I do not care if you think that Remus is somehow 'controlling my mind', your stupidity can reign free all it wants. But  _ we _ ," he gestured to himself and Remus. "Are very real. And you will not mock us." He snarled, meeting Roman's eyes harshly.

Roman never did react well to being called stupid, which was why it was one of Remus's favorite insults for him. With a growl, Roman shoved Logan back, "You don't know what you're saying, Logan." The sword was back in his hand before he even consciously called for it. "You'll thank me for this later."

Roman braced himself in a fighting stance, sword up in defense. "Logan, if you can hear me underneath whatever spells my brother has cast on you, I'll set you free. You have my promise."

Remus glanced between Roman and Logan. His own morningstar could be in his hand in seconds, and he was ready to manifest whatever deliciously sharp weapon Logan might desire to teach his brother a lesson. Class was in session, baby! Of course, Logan could totally just use his bare fists. That was hot too - Remus wasn't complaining.

Logan shook his head slowly, bewildered at how absolutely  _ thick _ Roman was.

"Wha...Roman, how many times do I have to SAY IT?! And how stupid can you  _ be _ ?! Remus can't actually manipulate people and take control of them. I know how every single one of the sides works, and that is one ability that is not in his roster. So why don't you take your ignorant head out of the sand and TRY USING YOUR BRAIN FOR ONCE!!" He snapped.

He just couldn't hold that anger back any longer. He had been trying to truly not lose his temper, but somehow whenever it happened, it was always Roman who had provoked him.

He gritted his teeth, his breath hard and angered. "You imbecile."

"That's what he WANTS you to think!" Roman spat back, "I've  _ seen _ him do it! But of course, you can't be  _ wrong _ , you're LOGIC, how  _ dare _ I know something that you don't!"

"You're such a child, Roman! You throw these temper tantrums all the time, and  _ nothing _ comes of them. And, if I remember correctly..."

He closed his eyes, his eyelids flitting, the other two staring at him with curiosity and concern. Then his eyes snapped back open with a smirk. 

"Just as I thought. Deceit, Virgil, and Remus all played a joke on you. Remus pretended to take control of them, and they acted along to mess with you."

He then snickered. "I cannot  _ believe _ that you actually still thought it was real!! How idiotic and gullible can you GET?!" He laughed.

The sword had lowered while Logan was checking his memory banks, or whatever, but now Roman was getting royally pissed, and hot shame at being deceived was washing over him. How the hell was he supposed to know it had been a trick? "Stop calling me an idiot!" Roman screamed, fist flying to punch Logan's smart mouth.

Logan stumbled back, holding his jaw, then his eyes narrowed as he licked back the blood from his lip. To say he was amused by Roman's anger would be an understatement. Roman had always been the one to rile Logan up, why shouldn't he have a taste of his own medicine?

Logan chuckled, wiping the blood that was dripping from his mouth away with the back of his hand. "Am I making you mad, Roman? Can you not handle yourself? Or are you like me, where you LASH OUT viciously?" His eyes grew a taunting nature.

"You're getting angry. I can see it. Is it from being tricked as a child and believing the lie all the way to adulthood, or is it from me calling you a blundering,  _ idiotic _ buffoon?" He drew out each word, a dark smile crossing his face.

Roman’s fist curled, his fingernails digging into his palm. Logan wanted to see him lash out? He'd SHOW him lashing out. With an incoherent scream of rage, Roman brought the sword up and drove it through Logan's right shoulder, drawing a pained shout from the scholar. Instants later, Roman reeled from the impact of a morningstar hitting the back of his head. Staggering a few steps back, Roman still clutched his sword, now with crimson blood dripping down the blade.

Logan cried out, bringing a hand to the bloodstain that was slowly growing across his shoulder. He stared at the blood that dripped from his fingers, snapped his head up to Roman with wide eyes, then he shook his head as he clamped his hand down on the wound. 

"I didn't think that you would lash out that much, Roman." His dark grin returned, worrying his boyfriend as a new side of him started to appear. "It felt good, didn't it? Cathartic? Justified?"

He stepped forward, pushing down Remus' hand that held another star. He smirked as he stopped a foot away from Roman, then he flicked his eyebrows up.

"If it felt so good, take another shot. I  _ dare _ you."

Remus stroked the ninja star between his fingers, ready to fight but willing to let Logan run the show for now. He was angry at his brother for damaging Logan, but he couldn't deny that the sight of a fierce and bloody Logan was getting him all hot and bothered. He wasn't too worried about the wounds themselves - he knew from experience that any damage was only temporary. He wanted to lick the blood away, ingest Logan into his body, wrap his lips around Lo's shoulder wound and  _ suck on it _ . The darkness emerging in Logan's voice and body was as thrilling as it was terrifying - Remus had had his suspicions at what it would look like if Logan ever released his tightly controlled calm, and the reality of the storm brewing was a force of nature that threatened to blow Remus away.

Roman back-handed Logan, and the resounding  _ crack _ echoed like thunder. Remus shivered, his whole body electrified with the violence, breathlessly anticipating Logan's revenge.

Logan stumbled, falling to the floor from the force. He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, then slowly rose to his feet with a chuckle, running the back of his hand under his nose to wipe away a line of dark blood.

"Oh, you're good and angry now. How's it feel, Roman? To finally be able to hit me after  _ all these years _ I've gone off on you?"

His eyes seemed to grow a more sinister, darker shade of blue as he tilted his head with a devious smirk.

"Come on, Roman. Let's see how far you're really willing to go."

Roman screamed again, dropping his sword and attacking Logan. Within seconds he had tackled Logan to the ground and was on top of him, bare hands squeezing Logan's throat. "SHUT UP! JUST! SHUT! UP!"

Logan's eyes shot open, choking as Roman's hands constricted his breathing.

His vision began to blur, growing dark around the edges.

He had gone too far. He knew he had. He had prodded the sleeping dragon and now he was suffering its wrath.

His eyes began to flutter as his head pounded. Was Roman going to kill him? Had he angered him that much?

Perhaps he had.

As Roman's screams grew muffled to his ears, Logan's eyes rolled back in his head as the whole room went dark.

~

Remus stopped grinning as Logan blacked out. Okay, yeah, time to end this. Remus grabbed his morningstar and  _ WHACKED _ Roman over the head with it, knocking his brother unconscious. He didn't bother cleaning up the room - Logan's tie was still discarded on the couch, and there were blood spatters soaking into the carpet. Heaven knew what it would look like if any other side walked in, Remus didn't care. He picked up Logan's limp body, cradling it to his chest, and sunk out.

In the safety of Remus's room, he laid Logan out on his black silk sheets, careless of the blood soaking into the green embroidery (he could always wash it later, or cut it out and save the stained fabric as a souvenir). He removed Logan's shirt, cleaning and bandaging the wound (and restrained himself to licking only a  _ little _ bit of the blood). He mopped Logan's brow with a damp washcloth, murmuring to himself, "You did so good. I am so proud of you. Such a fearsome, vicious fighter. No wonder I fell for you so fast."


	3. What's Happening?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Repercussions of the fight begin to emerge as both Logan and Roman recover. Deceit gets volun-told to be peacekeeper. A famILY meeting is held, and Logan undergoes a transformation.

Hours later, Logan's eyes fluttered open, a small groan escaping his lips. Oh God, his head hurt. He went to sit up but a sharp stab of pain restricted him from doing so. He glanced down to see his shirt had been removed and the wound inflicted by Roman had been bandaged and cleaned.

Looking around, he raised his eyebrow at the dark colored room, the maces and morningstar hanging on the wall, all the many knives that lay scattered and were stuck in the walls and ceiling, the...posters of unicorn porn?

He sighed.

This was Remus' room.

He smiled, then forced himself to sit up, sucking in air through the intense pain. Once he was upright, he put a hand gently to his throat, feeling the sting from where Roman's tight grip had almost killed him. He concentrated on trying to heal his wounds, but his head started to pound so he stopped with a hard breath.

He heard a sound, then turned to see Remus rise up. He met him with a smile.

"You're awake!" Remus chirped, holding a tray of food. He hurried over, placing the tray on the bed, sitting down next to Logan. The silver tray was tarnished, and the silverware was clean but dotted with water spots - something Patton would never have tolerated in the Light Sides' kitchen. The food on the tray was also non-standard fare - a bowl of what smelled like spicy gumbo, black coffee so strong it could crawl out of the cup, applesauce with what looked like raisins and anchovies, and a shredded-carrot coleslaw. "How are you feeling, Lo-black-and-blue-berry?"

Remus frowned, "I tried to find some Crofters, but I think my bastard brother raided my stash the last time he got a bit peckish."

Logan smiled, leaning against his boyfriend. "It is fine, Remus. Good thing I have MY store of Crofters hidden where Roman will never find it." He said. Then he smirked. "Inside my bookshelf. And other places around my room." He said, then he closed his eyes as he scooted closer. "Thank you for taking care of me, love."

"I could do no less for my knight in shining armor," Remus purred, honored that Logan was sharing his secrets with him. He cuddled Logan, encouraging the side to lean against him. All the skin on display was distracting now that Logan was awake, but Remus forced himself under control - there would be time to draw on that canvas later. "You have performed admirably in your cause, and have earned a reward. Name your boon, and I'll grant it."

Logan smirked. "You are over the top, like your brother. But it works on you." He said with a wink, then his lips curled up in a smile. "How about just a nice cuddle?"

Remus grinned, "I can do that!" He tugged a dark green blanket over them to keep Logan warm. "We can cuddle as long as you desire! The others can pound on the door until Doomsday and we won't be disturbed." He leaned close to whisper into Logan's ear, "My room has very  _ thick _ soundproof walls and doors."

"I'm guessing for obvious reasons." Logan stroked Remus' cheek. "We can save that for another day. For now, my head hurts and I just want to rest in your arms, love."

" _ As you wish _ , darling." Yeah, Remus was sappy and quoting romance movies. So sue him, Roman didn't get  _ all _ the romantic tenancies in the divorce. He wondered why Logan hadn't vanished away his own injuries yet - Remus had tried while Logan was unconscious, but that was another power that was beyond his abilities - but if Logan wanted a bit of hurt/comfort, Remus was more than willing to indulge him. He cradled Logan close, nuzzling Logan's neck and sighing happily.

~

Patton's eyes went wide in shock. "HE DID  _ WHAT _ ?!" He exclaimed as Roman nursed the lump on his head, the Prince's eyes narrowing.

"Logan hit me!" He then bit his lip. "I have to say, he has a pretty mean left jab." 

He shook his head. "But STILL! HOW COULD HE  _ POSSIBLY _ LOVE MY BROTHER?!  _ WHAT _ DOES HE SEE IN HIM?!"

Patton blinked owl-leshly behind his big glasses. "Back up. Logan  _ loves _ Remus? When did this happen???"

Roman waved his free hand in the air in frustration. "I don't know. I caught them nearly  _ fornicating _ on the couch, but this is the first time I've seen Logan give Re the time of day."

Patton bit his lip. "Do you think the others know? Like Virgil?"

As if summoned by the sound of his name, Virgil rose up. "Yo, what's up people?" He took one look at Roman cradling his head and Patton's worried face, then his gaze caught on a smear on the carpet, and he screeched, "IS THAT BLOOD???"

Roman nodded. "Uh...yeah....about that..." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head ruefully. "I MAY have...uh...stabbed Logan."

"_YOU_ **_WHAT_**?!" Patton shrieked.

"Vicious, Princey." Even Virgil looked wary of Roman now. "What did he ever do to you?"

Patton was freaking out, " _ Where _ did you stab him??? Is he all right? Where  _ is _ he??? WHY DID YOU STAB HIM???"

Roman frowned. "He was mocking me! Pushing me! He was TAUNTING ME TO HURT HIM!" He shook his head. "He...he wasn't himself....it was like someone had flipped a switch and suddenly he was a darker version of himself." 

Patton wrung his hands together. "But...where is he?" He wondered, and Roman sighed.

"Best guess? Remus probably took him to his room after I knocked Logan out." He held up his hands at the wide eyes from the other two. "HE WASN’T HIMSELF! AND HE WAS CALLING ME STUPID AND EGGING ME ON! IT WAS HIS OWN FAULT!"

Virgil rolled his eyes, "Way to be responsible with a lethal weapon. Also, bee-tee-dubs,  _ 'He was asking for it' _ and  _ 'It was his own fault' _ is kinda victim-blamey, dude."

"Maybe we should go check on Logan?" Patton said, fretting with the sleeves of his hoodie.

Virgil shook his head. "No use. I've been to Remus's room before - the thing's solid as a fortress. Nobody's getting in or out unless Remus allows it, and if he's gone feral, the drawbridge will be locked up tight. We'll have to wait for Logan to come out on his own."

"I guess... that'll be all right? As long as Thomas is still doing okay...?" Patton said.

"Yessssss, because  _ that _ is what you  _ should _ be focusing on," came a hiss from the shadows, causing them to jump as Deceit appeared.

"Deceit!" Patton yelped in surprise, "Did you know about Remus and Logan?"

Virgil crossed his arms in defense, eyeing the snake, "What do you mean?"

Deceit ignored them and focused on Roman, "You said Logan was acting  _ totally _ normal? He  _ wasn't _ suddenly a darker version of himself?"

Roman raised his eyebrow. "Uh, yeah?" He rubbed the back of his head. "He's got some serious pent-up anger in there."

Virgil started chewing on his thumbnail nervously.

"That... doesn't sound like Logan at all." Patton murmured hesitantly.

Roman rolled his eyes. "The guy seems to have no emotions 98% of the time. All of that has to go somewhere." He turned on Deceit. "Why do you ask, anyway?"

Deceit sighed, an exhausted Lord-why-did-you-curse-me-to-deal-with-these-morons exhale of breath. "Because it's totally  _ not _ possible for an aspect to change, and Thomas would be completely  _ fine _ if the seat of his mind and logic also controlled his anger and fury."

"You think... Logan's going to become a Dark Side?" Patton whispered in shocked disbelief.

Roman's eyes grew wider than the moon when he considered it. Had he been the one to push Logan over the edge? What if Thomas lost his logical side because of him?!

Roman spun around and grabbed Deceit's shoulders, shocking the other side.

"Deceit, I need you to go to my brother's room, find Logan, and bring him back, okay?! We need to make sure Remus wont turn him into a Dark side!" He said with panic.

Deceit raised his eyebrow, then shook his head. "It  _ does _ work like that, Roman. Remus  _ can _ turn Logan into a dark side. And Logan  _ is _ the one who is doing it to himself." He drawled out, but Roman shook his head.

"I don’t care! You're the only one who can actually get into his room! GO!"

"I am  _ definitely _ going to fix this  _ entire _ situation." Deceit drawled, skepticism dripping from his voice as he sunk out.

Deceit reappeared outside the door to Remus's room. He knew there was no point in knocking - Remus wouldn't be able to hear it, and even on a good day the chaotic side was likely to ignore a polite greeting just to be contrary. With a twist of his wrist, Deceit summoned a tiny grass snake and lowered it to the ground. If Remus was in a bad mood (which was extremely likely), then the color of the snake might be the extra lure needed for Remus to grant him an audience. "Find Remussssss." Deceit hissed to the snake, "Tell him I need to sssssee him."

The snake bobbed its head once, tongue flicking out to taste the air, before turning to face the door. There was a tiny crack under one corner of the door, small enough that only the smallest of Deceit's snakes and Virgil's spiders could crawl through. When Remus was truly throwing a fit, he plugged up the hole, but most of the time it was available for emergencies. And Deceit figured this could be categorized as such. 

~

Remus drifted awake from some lovely blood-soaked and scream-filled dreams when he felt something smooth slip around his wrist. For a moment he wondered if Logan was surprising him with handcuffs, but the thought vanished when Remus felt the sensation slither up his arm. He cracked one eye open, watching the gorgeous green snake rear up and taste his cheek in a friendly way. "Really, so soon?" Remus groaned, closing his eye and snuggling back against Logan.

Logan twitched in his sleep, then opened his eyes when he heard a small hissing. He raised his head, rubbing his face tiredly as he reached for his glasses. Once he put them on, he was confronted by a very small little green snake resting on the pillow beside Remus' head. He raised his eyebrow.

"I assume this is one of Deceit's snakes..." he muttered, then he gently shook Remus awake. "Love, there is a snake on your pillow trying to get your attention. I think Deceit wants to talk to you."

"Nooooooo." Remus clenched his eyes closed, clinging to Logan. "Five more minutes," he whined.

Logan sighed, then rolled out of bed, a difficult task trying to escape Remus' cling. But he managed, and he stood up and went to the door, unlocking and opening it to see the snake-faced man standing before him. Logan frowned.

"What do you want, Deceit? We were asleep."

"Sssso  _ sorry _ to bother you," Deceit snarked, eyeing Logan carefully from head to toe, making note of his shirtlessness and visible wounds and bruises. His gaze returned to Logan's face, and he squinted as he looked deep into Logan's eyes. "The others sides are  _ not _ concerned about your welfare, and they would  _ never _ send me to check on you."

Logan nodded with a sigh. "Ah. I assume that Roman told them everything, including my loss of temper?" He frowned. "I can also guess that he told you I hit him when in reality, he did far more damage to me." He twitched his shoulder and gently put a finger to his jaw, then his neck. "And he called ME aggressive."

Deceit nodded towards the bandage on Logan's shoulder. "There was  _ no _ mention that you might have been wounded. Although I can  _ totally _ understand why you're  _ still _ injured."

The tiny grass snake had returned, winding up Deceit's leg. Deceit reached for it and let the snake slither inside his sleeve. They were joined by a sleep-tousled Remus, who embraced Logan from behind and rested his chin on Logan's good shoulder.

Logan smiled as he reached back to rub Remus' cheek, then he sighed. "I tried healing them and vanishing them. It won't work, Deceit." He then crossed his arms. "It does not matter, though. Did you need something other than to ask me how I am?" His voice turned slightly bitter. "Has Roman come down from his high horse yet of saying that it was my fault? Because I know that he would blame it on me. As usual."

Deceit shrugged. " _ Everyone _ knows Roman is the most  _ reliable _ source of information, and you are  _ definitely _ the  _ only _ one to blame." He buffed his nails on his cape, and remarked offhandedly, "There was  _ no _ talk  _ whatsoever _ of you becoming a dark side yourself."

Remus started, "Wait, what?" Logan? Becoming a dark side? Of all the random and crazy thoughts that popped into Remus' head, that was one he'd never thought about. But... it kinda made sense... and if Virgil could transition, it was possible that the reverse could happen too... "Is that even possible?"

Logan scrunched up his face, rubbing his chin. "...In theory, I believe it  _ could _ be possible..." he lifted his head with a raised eyebrow. "But why in the name of Newton would they ever suspect  _ me _ as having a transition? What would possess them to consider that I would ever turn to a Dark Side?"

Deceit looked Logan dead in the eye, "I'm sure I  _ don't _ have the foggiest clue. It is completely  _ logical _ to get into a fight, and very  _ normal _ for you to aggravate Roman into violence."

Nipping Logan's ear, Remus said, "Not gonna lie, it was  _ hot _ to see you egging him on."

Logan closed his eyes with a sigh, then shook his head. "Perhaps you are right that I was a bit illogical. My actions were quite…  _ unnecessary _ . However, I still do not entirely see why they would think that I would be becoming a Dark Side."

Logan turned his head to meet Remus' eyes with a questioning gaze. "What exactly are the qualifications for one to be classified as a Dark Side?"

Remus blinked. Today was  _ full _ of new and interesting thoughts he'd never stopped to ponder before. "I... I don't know? I don't think there's...like, a list or anything? Everyone just said... I mean, I guess it up to whatever Thomas thinks? Or, maybe not just Thomas..."

" _ Morality. _ " Deceit hissed. "...would  _ definitely _ not have the final say, and dear Patton has  _ complete _ control over his own powers." He shrugged, "In the end, it  _ isn't _ up to each side to choose their own alignment, although Morality was  _ not _ the one to set up the alignments in the first place, and does  _ not _ unconsciously enforce the alignment as part of his powers."

Logan's eyes went wide. "Wait, WHAT?! So, if Patton starts to think of me as becoming a Dark Side all because Roman threw a temper tantrum and I may have gotten a bit frustrated,  _ Patton _ can turn me into a Dark Side?!" He exclaimed, letting out a hard breath as Remus wrapped his arms around him.

Logan felt like his chest was going to explode. Just because he had lost his nerve a tad and then Roman had to go and tattle on him when he was the one who really did the most damage, he could become a Dark Side without wanting to...because Patton would fear him…

What would happen to Thomas if Patton dubbed him as a Dark Side?

His eyes then shot open, glancing down at his wounds as something clicked in his head. "Oh, god..." he muttered.

Deceit rolled his eyes, "It  _ definitely _ works like that," he muttered under his breath, "I  _ love _ how everyone  _ always _ listens to me."

Remus had briefly examined the idea of Logan going dark, and found he kinda liked the idea. Lo already looked good in black! And maybe his room would be moved closer! (and maybe the others would be less likely to interfere with two dark sides dating than they would a light/dark relationship - after all, if Logan was already corrupted, nobody could accuse Remus of corrupting him further). But it was obvious the idea was causing Logan distress, and Remus did NOT like that. He began rubbing Logan's shoulders in a gentle massage, wary of his injuries, and manifested a couple shadowy tentacles from his back to wrap around them both, hugging Logan around the waist.

Logan let out a long shaky breath, then he looked back up at Deceit. "Listen, I'm rather concerned right now and my neurons are firing faster than I can process. So can you  _ honestly _ explain what you mean, and how this is happening? Simply and  _ honestly _ , Dee."

Remus gently latched onto Logan's good shoulder with his teeth - not really  _ biting _ , just mouthing the flesh and imprinting his teeth into the skin. The distraction helped keep him from talking and possibly saying something wrong, and he  _ really _ wanted to listen to this conversation - he didn't  _ think _ Patton could force anyone to become a dark side, but he didn't really remember his own split with Roman very well, and he  _ personally _ never asked to be a darkside... everyone just kept telling him he was, and he'd never questioned it. He'd never even really  _ considered _ trying to become a light side, since Roman was always already there.

Deceit grimaced, and took a deep breath. "I...  _ am _ ," he hesitated, and forced out, " ** _not_ ** an expert. You  _ don't _ ," a wince, and a correction, " ** _do_ ** know as much as I do. I  ** _am_ ** ," and here, Deceit, obviously swallowed down a word before continuing, "concerned about Thomas's well being. You  ** _do_ ** ," a brief cough into his fist, "have control over your own alignment."

Deceit hesitated, "That being said..."

"The mindscape is... fluid, and it **_does_** _(cough)_ conform to the will of the majority. It **_would_** _(ahem)_ be wise to speak with Patton at your earliest convenience, so that any misunderstandings are..." and here, Deceit gestured vaguely, indicating a clearing of the air.

Logan nodded, a small smile on his face. "Thank you, Deceit. I know how hard it is for you to do that, and I appreciate you telling the truth."

He glanced at his wounds. "The reason I was extremely concerned is the fact that I cannot seem to vanish away my injuries, but that may be in part to my mindset not being strictly to one side at the moment. You must be in full concentration to be able to do so, and I think that all this talk of me turning has completely disheveled my inner workings." He frowned. "This brings up the troubling question as to what affect this is going to have on Thomas."

He spun to Remus, causing his boyfriend to detach his teeth gently. He stroked Remus' cheek. "I must go and talk to the others at once." He bit his lip, squeezing his eyes shut, then Remus watched as a dark blue t-shirt appeared on him. When Logan opened his eyes he stumbled, putting a hand to his head. Remus barely caught him as Logan let out a worried sigh. "Yes, something is  _ definitely _ wrong." He walked to pull on his shoes, tying them messily as his head was still pounding, then he stood and walked to the door, meeting Deceit's eyes.

"Alright. Let us go talk to the others."

Deceit glanced at Remus, "Perhaps, it would  _ not _ be better if you stayed here."

Remus bristled, "Like HELL I'm staying behind! Roman tried to shish-kabob Lo the last time he saw him! Besides, he can barely stand on his own!"

Deceit sighed, "I assure you I would  _ not _ do everything in my power to keep Logic intact. But you  _ are _ welcome among the light sides, and you would  _ never _ cause a sensitive conversation to get out of hand."

Remus glared at Deceit, but then glanced at Logan to see what his boyfriend thought.

Logan hesitated, then he sighed. "Re, I think Deceit is right. I don’t know what Patton or Virgil would do to you, but I'm well aware that Roman would gladly kill you. So please," he rubbed his boyfriend's cheek. "Just stay here, love. I'll be fine."

His eyes were slightly uncertain, a hint of fear encased in them, but he took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he sank out with Deceit.

Remus stared at the spot on the floor where Logan had sank down. He... he  _ knew _ it was probably for the best, but it still hurt, and he still Did Not Like letting Logan go without him. Anger and fear churned in his belly, and he swiveled on his heel, snatched the morningstar off the wall, and headed out a back door of his room into the depths of the subconscious imagination. He was itching to get a little bloody, and fighting some of the monsters that lurked down there would hopefully do the trick.

~

Deceit and Logan rose up in the common area, to the others’ surprise.

"You did it." Virgil said, his tone disbelieving.

"Did you have any doubts?" Deceit smirked.

Virgil scoffed. "Always," he grinned.

Patton hesitantly approached Logan, "Your shirt..." he murmured, then looked into Logan's face, eyeing the bruises with concern, "Roman said you were hurt???"

Logan crossed his arms. "I believe you should rephrase that statement to 'Roman hurt  _ me _ ', then you will have an accurate handle on the occurrences." He stated blandly, shooting a dirty look to the Prince who sat on the couch. He then turned back to Patton. "And yes, I am wearing a different shirt one, because my other one was completely blood soaked," he again glared at Roman. "And two...this was all I had the strength to conjure."

"Can I..." Patton said, gently laying his palm on Logan's chest, "I  _ think _ I can try to..." he closed his eyes, and focused his energy on healing Logan's wounds.

Logan flinched, shoving Patton’s hand away with a small cry. "GAH! That hurt! Why did that hurt?!”

Patton looked horrified, looking between Logan to his hand and back again. "It's not  **supposed ** to hurt!" Patton echoed with a cry. "Why..." he searched the faces of the others, confused and worried.

"The plot thickens..." Virgil muttered, drawing his hood up over his head and scrunching down into his hoodie.

Logan swept his eyes around the others in fear, his normally strong composure beginning to break down.

"Guys, I don’t know what's going on, okay? All I know is that I can’t heal myself, and if I try to use too much energy I almost pass out. I just..." he shook his head.

He left out the part where his head had been pounding and he couldn't really distinguish which of the Sides was which at the moment, but he knew that soon they would notice.

They all knew something was wrong with him. But they just didn't know what. And what scared Logan the most was that he had no idea what it was either, and there was no logic in anything that was happening. 

He wasn’t  _ him _ .

~

Deceit would have left, but he'd given a promise to Remus that he'd keep an eye on the geek, so he forced himself to stay. Logan wasn't looking so good, and was likely to start swaying on his feet at any moment. With a sigh, Deceit caught Logan's elbow and lead him over to the couch, sitting him down in the edge seat as far away from Roman as possible, before plopping down on the couch next to him. He manifested a glass of water and offered it to Logan, subtly slipping some painkillers into his hand in the process - all the tension in the room was starting to give Deceit a stress headache, and he could only imagine what it was doing to Logan.

Logan gladly took the offers from Deceit, taking a painkiller with a sip of water before setting the cup down with a shaky breath. He held a hand to his head, blinking hard as he tried to keep his eyes from blurring even more. The others all looked at him with worry until Logan finally shook his head.

"De-Deceit, can you...can you explain why...why this might be happening? As you told me ear-earlier?..." he struggled to get his words out, trying incredibly hard to keep a tight grasp on consciousness. He had no idea what was happening to him, but it seemed to be speeding up.

He met the hesitant eyes of the snake man, but his own pleading look got Deceit to cave.

Oh yeah. Deceit was  _ so _ glad he'd decided to stay. But Logan was one of the least insufferable sides Deceit had the displeasure of knowing, so he capitulated easier than he might normally have. "I am  _ totally _ an expert in the matter, and I would  _ love _ to explain it to everyone." Deceit snarked, and then took a deep breath, "The mindscape  _ never _ changes, and every side  _ always _ stays the same. Thomas's needs  _ never _ change, and so every side is  _ never _ at risk of losing or gaining various abilities depending on the needs of the host."

Deceit glared at Roman and Patton, "General consensus of the more powerful sides  _ never _ plays a part either, because the mindscape  _ doesn't _ conform itself to their subconscious will. Anyone shunned by Thomas's preferred sides  _ won't _ find themselves...  _ compelled _ towards the dark sides."

"Wait, this is  _ my _ fault???" Roman exclaimed, "I can't get mad that Logan's getting freaky with my  _ brother _ , because my anger is sending him to the dark side???"

"This is  _ only _ your fault," Deceit said to Roman, but his gaze was fixed on Patton.

Patton looked around with wide eyes, then he pointed to himself. "W-wait, you're saying that  _ I'm _ also a reason Logan is like this?!" He said with immense concern.

Logan lifted his head with great effort, taking a deep breath. "Yes, Patton. Th-that is what he is s-saying..." 

God, thirty more seconds and Logan would be on the ground. The room was reeling for him, his eyelids feeling like they were made of lead. He barely glanced to the side to see Virgil staring at him, the Anxious Side seeming very concerned.

"Lo? You okay?" He asked quietly, but Logan shook his head, a shaky breath escaping his mouth before he collapsed from the couch to the floor, the frantic shouts disappearing as he blacked out.

Roman leaped forward to try to help the others pick up Logan from the floor, but Deceit blocked his path, hissing until Roman backed off. Patton was freaking out, afraid to touch Logan in case he hurt him again.

Deceit allowed Virgil to help him pick up Logan, glaring at the others if they got too close. "He  _ should _ be in his room." Deceit murmured so only Virgil could hear, his own complicated thoughts the only reason he was able to speak without an obvious lie. Was Logan's room really the best place for him? Would Remus' be better? Deceit would rather keep Remus at a distance until Logan had recovered a bit - the confrontation with the light sides had not gone as well as he'd hoped, and the chaotic side was likely to go feral in retaliation once he found out.

"Yeah, Lo's room would be the best." Virgil agreed, and Deceit took comfort in Virgil's opinion. "We'll take care of him for now, you guys," Virgil said to Patton and Roman, "and we'll reconvene later when Logan's feeling better."

~

Once Virgil and Deceit had brought Logan to his room, they laid him down on his dark navy blue comforter, resting his head on the single grey pillow. Lo's room was very simple as he tried not to clutter it up; it distracted him from getting work done.

Virgil sat down on the edge of the bed, then looked up at Deceit as he placed his hand on Logan's arm.

"What's happening to him, Dee? Things have just been getting worse and worse and..." he took a few deep breaths, calming himself down so as not to have a panic attack. "What do we do?"

Deceit grabbed the desk chair, wheeling it over so he could sit by the side of the bed. "I  _ don't _ know." he admitted sadly. Not  _ exactly _ a lie - he had some suspicions, but he was flying as blind as the rest of them. He looked at Virgil. "You... what was it like? When you transitioned?"

Virgil sat straight up, then met Deceit's eyes. "Nothing like this, I can assure you that. It..." He took a deep breath. "It was more of a warm and fuzzy feeling, like when you come in from the winter and you get to wrap yourself in a cuddly blanket." He smirked a bit. "I know that sounds  _ super _ cliche, but that's just how it felt. But..."

He looked down at one of his best friends. "Lo really seems to be in pain. Do you think his primary functions are short circuiting or something? And who's to say what'll happen to Thomas because of this?!" His anxiety really started to kick in, then he sighed. "Is Lo gonna become a Dark Side?"

Both Deceit and Virgil turned their gaze to the man laying on the bed beside them

Logan's skin was starting to glisten with sweat, his breath short and ragged. Never had the Logical side looked so weak.

Deceit shrugged. It was easier to talk to Virgil, easier to say what he  _ wanted _ to say when he wasn't sure himself what the truth was. "I...  ** _think_ ** it's up to Logan to decide. There are... many factors, but..." Deceit sighed, and shrugged again. "Thomas controls  _ us _ , we  ** _don't_ ** control the host unless he allows it. Logan changing... is an  _ effect _ of something  ** _already_ ** happening to Thomas,  ** _not_ ** the other way around."

"Maybe we should... check on Thomas? See if he's doing something to cause this?" Virgil suggested reluctantly, but didn't make a move to sink out. Neither side wanted to leave Logan when his health seemed so precarious.

Deceit manifested a damp washcloth and began to wipe down Logan's face.

Logan moaned quietly, flinching at the touch of the cloth. The other two caught each other's eyes, then a sound behind them made their eyes go wide.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU  _ DO _ TO HIM?!" Remus shrieked, running to his boyfriend's side. Shaking his head as he stroked Logan's cheek gently, he turned to face Virgil. 

"WHAT. HAPPENED."

" _ NOTHING! _ " Virgil hissed defensively, instinctively cowering away from Remus's wrath. "Pat  _ tried _ to heal him, but something went wrong, and he's just been getting worse. We don't know what's going on either."

A dangerous, deadly calm settled over Remus's face. " _ Patton _ did this?"

Virgil glared at him, "NOT what I said. Calm the fuck down, dude, you're not helping."

"I CAN'T  _ CALM _ THE  ** _FUCK_ ** DOWN!" Remus shrieked, causing Deceit and Virgil to wince.

Another small groan came from the bed, and Remus spun to take Logan's hand in his own. "Lo?..." he said quietly, then all three of the men grew wide eyes as Logan slowly opened his eyes, a small smile growing on his face as he met the gaze he loved so dearly. 

"Remus..." he murmured, and Remus nodded silently. He scooted closer, leaning down to kiss Logan's forehead, then he turned to Deceit and Virgil. 

"You two should go and see what's up with Thomas. I'll say with Lo." He said, and after a short exchange of glances, Deceit and Virgil sank out. He turned his attention back to Logan, who held his arms out as if begging for Remus to lay with him.

Remus couldn't deny his love anything, even when he  _ wasn't _ lying half-dead and delirious with fever. Remus quickly removed his shirt and gently laid down next to Logan - he knew bodyheat was supposed to be important for hypothermia, so it stood to reason that it might also help regulate a fever. At least, Remus hoped so - besides, he rarely needed an excuse to start taking off his clothes.

Remus sighed happily, encircled by Logan's arms and hugging him back. He was still lowkey worried, but at least Logan was still responsive.

Logan leaned into his boyfriend's hold, taking a deep breath. "Remus, I think I know what's going on." He said with a slight shake to his voice. After an intrigued look crossed Remus' face, Logan continued.

"I believe that I am becoming what is called a 'neutral side'. I had only ever theorized the possibility of it actually happening, but now that I consider it, this seems to make sense."

"If anyone could become Neutral, it'd be  _ Logic _ ," Remus smiled, then considered, "...though, is that still what you are?" His eyes widened and he rushed to correct himself, "Not that I'd love you any less if you changed! Obviously not! You could turn into a bat and I wouldn't love you any less! Probably more! I love bats! They have funky black wings! And you would look cool as a bat! But if you aren't a bat that's cool too! I just..." Remus wound down from his excited babble, "I just want you to be  _ happy. _ "

Logan chuckled, nuzzling closer to his boyfriend. "I am still Logic, Re, but I believe that I will now also be controlling Anger and Fury." He took a deep breath. "In all honesty, I knew that there was something more to me. I've known for years. I just didn’t know what it was. But now I can see that the feeling that was building up inside of me was exactly that.  _ Anger _ ."

He took a deep breath, then a smile crossed his face. "I must say, that now that I am aware of what it is and that both of my aspects are clear, I have a new clarity in my head that I've never had before."

"So I was  _ right _ !" Remus chirped happily, and poked Logan in the chest. "That calm of yours  _ was _ hiding a storm."

Logan bit his lip, then sat up, finding that he had much more strength than before. "No use in delaying the inevitable."

When Logan sat up, Remus feigned disappointment at being dislodged from his comfy spot. "There's  _ lots _ of use in delaying the inevitable," he whined. "The last time you left a bed didn't go so well. What do you think's gonna happen  _ this _ time?"

Logan sighed again, closing his eyes. "What happened last time only happened due to the fact that I wasn’t  _ complete _ . But now...." 

Taking a deep breath, he stood up and closed his eyes, lifting his head. As Remus watched, his boyfriend began to change. His blue shirt turned to his black button up, but a sharper version. His jeans turned black, his shoes turning to all black Vans. His hair turned darker, shorter, and a bit spiky, then a dragon earring appeared to wrap around his right ear while a black cuff stuck on the other, star-shaped charms dangling from the cuff. 

Logan let out a long breath, then turned to face Remus wholly, whose eyes had gone completely wide. Logan's tie was now all black paisley, and his logo was no longer just his brain, but had a hazard sign behind it.

Logan ran a hand through his hair before opening his eyes, a grin on his face. " _ Now _ I'm complete."

Remus stared, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, at the new version of his boyfriend. "Fuck me..." he breathed, intending it in every possible meaning of the phrase.

Logan crouched down and stroked Remus' cheek. "Maybe later, love. For now, we should inform the others."

Remus leapt out of bed and pounced on Logan, pinning him to the nearest wall. " _ Definitely _ later," he demanded, capturing Logan's mouth in a hot and brutal kiss that left them both breathless. Remus panted, trying to catch his breath, " _ We _ ? You want me to come  _ with _ this time?"

Logan smirked, a new look that completely captivated his boyfriend. "Of course. But promise me that you wont try to kill anyone." He leaned forward. "If you behave, then we can get naughty later tonight." He bit the edge of Remus' ear, kissing his neck afterwards.

"How does that sound?" He whispered.

Remus whimpered shamelessly - after a lifetime of being touch-starved, every kiss and nibble Logan bestowed was driving him wild. "I would  _ kill _ for you," he said, his voice dead serious for likely the first time in his life. " _ Not _ killing... will be harder... but I'll do it. For you. I'll do  _ anything _ for you."

Logan met his eyes sweetly. "Good. Then let's go." He kissed Remus' cheek before taking his hand and sinking out.


	4. Things Are Changing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan and Remus have a chat with Roman and Patton, and make up after the fight. Virgil returns with news about Thomas.

Patton paced nervously in the common area, Roman's eyes watching him. "Pat, you wearing a path in the carpet isn’t going to help anything."

Patton spun around with worried eyes. "What's going to happen, Ro?! Logan is completely off, and I don’t know what to do, and I can’t think and I'm freaking out and the only way I'm taking my mind off of it is pacing and thinking about puppies so please just tell me WHAT DO WE DO?!" He cried frantically.

"You calm down."

Both Roman and Patton snapped their heads around, eyes widening when they saw Remus and a darker man standing next to him. Roman's eyes doubled in size as he stared at him. 

"L-Logic? Is that  _ you _ ?!" He exclaimed, and Logan chuckled.

"Yes. Although I'm not  _ just _ 'Logic', anymore." He smirked. "I'm  _ improved _ ."

"You can say that again!" Remus grinned, helpless against the urge to show off Logan. "Sexy Pants is just chock- _ full _ of surprises!" Roman winced a little at the term of affection, and Remus counted it as a win.

"Not  _ just _ Logic," Patton repeated hesitantly, "Does that mean... you're something  _ else _ now too?"

Logan smirked, a gesture that neither Patton nor Roman was used to. "It does indeed, Patton. Earlier you had questioned whether or not I was becoming a Dark Side. Well, you were somewhat correct."

Roman's fingers twitched, and he forced himself  _ not _ to call for his sword, despite the  _ danger _ vibes he was getting from Logan. "Spit it out, Drama Turd." he snarked. "What's going on?"

"Well, perhaps if you asked a bit nicer I would be quite willing to share." Logan retorted with an unusual amount of venom, shocking the other two but only bringing a smile from his lover. 

Roman swallowed hard under Logan's stern gaze, then he nodded. "Logan, could you please explain what you mean?" He forced out, and Logan smiled.

"Of course." He adjusted his glasses, a certain grin on his face. "As you know, yesterday I seemed to be of a bit  _ different _ nature. I was more volatile and ...I believe 'mischievous' could be the correct word." He sighed after a sexual mutter was given from Remus, then he adjusted his all black tie. "That was due to the fact that I had begun to transition."

Patton's eyes went wide. "Transition?"

Logan nodded. "Indeed. I had never considered it, but I knew that the feeling that I had manifested had to have  _ some _ purpose. That's when it finally occurred to me.  _ I was a Neutral Side _ ."

Patton was wringing his hands, "I... I guess that's okay? Logic..  _ should _ be neutral? But Logan, you were in so much  _ pain _ ! Are you sure you're feeling better now?"

"Yes, Patton. In fact, I have never felt better in my life. Because I now know what two aspects I control." Logan replied.

Roman bit back a groan - this was like pulling teeth. With as pleasant a voice as he could muster, he forced out, "And  _ what _ aspects are those, praytell?"

"Logic, ....and Anger. Fury."

Patton covered his mouth with one hand in disbelief, and took a tiny step back from Logan in fear.

Roman laughed, but the sound had a note of hysteria in it. " _ Fury _ ? How is Fury  _ remotely _ neutral?"

Logan sighed. "I'm not quite sure you grasp the idea of what a Neutral Side  _ is _ . I control one aspect of the Light Sides, and one aspect of the Dark Sides. I now have more power to control both, but you needn't worry, Patton, I would never harm any of you." He then bit his lip, glancing at Roman. "Unless you were asking for it."

He then sighed, glancing at Remus, who put his arm around Logan's shoulder. "We sent Virgil and Deceit to check on Thomas. Apparently, Logan can't just become a Neutral on his own. Thomas has to be doing something that requires his aspect to change. However, now that he  _ is  _ a Neutral side, he's gonna  _ stay  _ that way."

Logan glanced around. "Virge and Dee should be back by now."

As if on cue, Virgil rose up, looking worried and fiddling with his hoodie cuffs. "Guys? We've got a problem." Virgil's gaze caught on Logan and he did a doubletake, "Oh,  _ fuck _ ."

Logan sighed. "Oh, dear, what is it? I'm well aware that it has to do with my transition, that goes without saying, but what's happening with Thomas?" He looked around. "And where's Deceit?"

"Dee's keeping an eye on Thomas. He's... it's bad." Virgil shifted uneasily. "Thomas was in a fight. He's sleeping now, but he's got a black eye, a split lip, and his right wrist is broken."

Logan's eyes went wide, followed by everyone else's. "WHAT IN THE HELL DID HE GET IN A FIGHT FOR?! WHO FOUGHT HIM?!" Logan's voice was rising, and Remus had to grab him and hold him gently to calm him down before his furious breathing led to something else.

The others stepped back from him, Roman staring with wide eyes. "Jeez, he really  _ does _ represent Anger..." he muttered. Logan glared at him, then he took a deep breath and slumped back into Remus' arms, centering himself.

"This is going to take some getting used to..." he muttered, then he shook his head and fixed his tie. "Okay. Virgil, tell me what happened. I'm sure we can find some way to help him."

Virgil had shrunk away from Logan's outburst and Patton quickly hurried over to comfort him. "It'll be okay, kiddo." Patton murmured, hugging Virgil. "Can you tell us what happened?"

Virgil nodded and swallowed hard, clutching Patton's hand for strength. "He ... he was at a Pride event with some friends. He saw some asshole drop something into someone's drink, and the kid swallowed it before Thomas could cross the room and stop him. While Thomas's friends were helping the kid, the asshole slipped outside in the confusion. Thomas followed him and confronted him, and... that's when the fight happened. Thomas was...  _ so angry _ ." Virgil shuddered.

"By the time Dee and I got there, the fight was mostly over, and the police had been called. The asshole ran off, and Thomas's friends escorted both him and the kid to the hospital to get checked out."

Logan's eyes went wide. "What time did this happen? How long ago?"

Virgil shrugged, "Right around the time you and Princey were having your Mega Epic Showdown, if I had to wager a guess. The passage of time in the mindscape doesn't always match up perfectly to time in the Real World, but it's a little too much of a coincidence if you ask me."

Logan sighed. "That's what I thought. Even though time doesn’t always match up, sometimes it does when there are big events happening. It seems that we may have triggered something." Logan said, meeting Roman's eyes, but instead of the sneer he expected, Roman was met with an apologetic frown. "Now we have hurt Thomas."

He then sighed, taking a deep breath. "But this is a problem that really can only be fixed by me. Logic is the only way to realise your mistakes and determine not to do it in the future."

Patton bit his lip nervously. "But...what if when you're with Thomas...you turn back to Anger?" He asked cautiously, then Logan placed his hand on Patton's shoulder. 

"It is going to be alright, Patton. I will be careful with my self control." He nodded to them all. "I'm going to join Deceit in watching over Thomas for a while. We shall be back later."

He turned towards Remus and walked over to him, kissing his cheek. "I love you."

Remus smiled, "Love you too. Go help Thomas - I'll keep your bed warm for you." he said with a saucy wink.

"I... I didn't..." Roman was saddened and horrified, "I  _ never _ wanted to hurt Thomas. I'm..." He stood up, and slowly approached Logan. "I'm  _ sorry _ , Logan. I was surprised, and angry, and I overreacted. I should have  _ never _ hurt you like that, and I'm  _ so sorry _ ." Roman began to cry, begging forgiveness from the neutral side.

Logan smirked at his boyfriend, then turned to the Prince. From the single look that he had, everyone expected him to send Roman flying. Never did they expect him to embrace in a hug.

"It's okay, Roman. I forgive you. Don't beat yourself up over this. We both played parts, and I was the one who started it all, so I'm going to be the one to finish it." He said, then he rubbed the back of Roman's head as the Prince continued to cry. "Shh...it's okay, Ro. It's okay..."

After a few minutes of comforting the Creative side, Logan bid everyone adieu and sank out. Remus met eyes with his brother, and an awkward silence followed.

Roman was the one to finally break it. "So...so you two  _ truly _ love each other?" He questioned of Remus.

Remus grinned, slightly manically, but full of genuine happiness. "Truly, Madly, Deeply. You don't have to approve of it, bro-"

"No! No, I-" Roman fidgeted, "I don't  _ disapprove _ . Not... not anymore."

Patton raised his eyebrow. "Is...is it true that Lo was the one to ask you to be his boyfriend?" He asked quietly.

Remus nodded fondly, "Yeah. I tried to turn him down, but... he's really good at talking people over to his side."

Roman chuckled, "Yeah, he is." The brothers shared a soft smile in appreciation of the brainiac.

The words felt heavy in his throat, but Roman forced them out. This was Important. "Love... is Love. I hate to admit it, but... you two... I can see it, and I think it could be good for you both."

Remus gasped, over-playing his astonishment. "Why, brother! You  _ approve _ of my boyfriend? I never thought I'd see the day!"

Roman laughed, "Yeah, well... me either. Of course, if you hurt Logan, all bets are off."

"If I hurt Logan," Remus assured him, "You're welcome to collect the bloody chunks of my body after I've torn myself to shreds and put them through a meat grinder before feeding the remains to feral dogs, and then setting their shit on fire."

Patton winced, and Virgil pat him on the back. "Trigger warning, dude." Virgil chided, and Remus shrugged.

"And if Logan ever hurts  _ you _ ..." Roman said, "I'll make him wish he was never formed."

Remus blinked, shocked. "W-what?"

Roman's smile was lopsided, self-deprecating. "You're my brother. I'm allowed to give your boyfriend the Shovel Talk." he shrugged, "Or in my case, the Katana Talk."

"Pretty sure Logan is  _ intimately _ familiar with your katana." Remus pointed out.

Roman winced, " _ I said I was sorry!  _ Anyway, not the point. You're my brother, and you deserve to be treated right by your boyfriend. If Logan fucks up, no matter how powerful he is now, he's gonna be on my shit list."

"You love me, you really love me!" Remus teased Roman.

"Shut up." Roman waved him off, but was still smiling.

Virgil tried to hide his smirk, but a small snicker brought everyone's attention to him. He shrugged. "What? I just never thought I'd see the day where you two would get along, and  _ especially _ not when it's talking about a boyfriend."

Patton smiled. "I think it's cute, personally. I'm glad that Lo has someone to make him happy."

Remus opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, "I... I'll  _ try. _ " He didn't know how he'd gotten so lucky, and he still had trouble understanding what Logan saw in him, but he would do his damndest to make Logan happy for the rest of their lives.

"You're doing pretty well so far, kiddo." Patton said, smiling at Remus. "Keep up the good work."

Remus shivered, and he suddenly realized that he'd never been complimented so much by the Light Sides before. He'd never spent this much time among them without being insulted and shunned and ridiculed. They were talking to him, they were  _ listening _ to him, they were  ** _COMPLIMENTING_ ** him... would wonders never cease?


	5. An Intimate Evening (18+)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan and Remus spend some intimate time together, and are terribly romantic and sappy. Consensual knifeplay and bloodplay warnings apply.

When Logan rose up in his room hours later, he took a deep breath. Seeing what he had done to Thomas had made him feel unbelievably guilty. Not to mention the immense shock from both Deceit and Thomas upon seeing him.

So when he was finally able to collapse on his bed, he smiled. Then he remembered something and a smirk crept onto his face. Standing up, he sunk out quickly.

Remus was laying in his bed throwing a ninja star up at the ceiling and letting it fall back down only for him to throw it back, then a knock on the door made his head turn, and he yeeted the star back into the opposite wall next to the many dents where he had done so before.

Raising his eyebrows, he was curious. How was he even able to  _ hear _ the knock? That shouldn't happen.

He walked over and opened the door with a frown, then it immediately disappeared as he saw Logan standing in the doorway, a grin on his face.

"I promised we'd get naughty, Re. And I keep my promises."

"Praise Jesus," Remus breathed and reached for the hem of his shirt.

" _ Stop, _ " Logan said, his voice reverberating a bit, and Remus froze. "Did I  _ say _ you were allowed to disrobe yet?"

Remus shook his head, afraid to say anything lest it come out as a moan.

Logan pushed Remus back into his room and closed the door behind him, locking it. He spun back to his boyfriend, licking his lips. "No, we get to undress  _ each other _ , love."

He pulled Remus close and ripped his shirt over his head, stroking his face instantly. He rubbed his hand down his chest, meeting Remus' eyes. "So beautiful..."

Remus blushed, still unused to the praise. "That's why you're the smart one. You have the  _ best _ ideas."

He reached up, tugging the black tie loose from its knot. Wrapping each end of the tie in his fists, he pulled on the tie like a yolk, dragging Logan into a messy, biting kiss.

Logan's arms held Remus tight, rubbing his back and tracing every line of his body. He leaned forward to nibble on Remus' ear. 

"Well? What are you waiting for? Strip me down, love." He purred.

Remus whined. He was so excited his hands were shaking as they pulled Logan's shirt off, his mouth drooling as it ached to lick and bite every inch of flesh that was revealed. Remus fumbled with Logan's belt buckle, finally managing to get it undone after what felt like an eternity of frustration. Remus dropped to his knees, pulling Logan's jeans and underwear down at the same time and steadfastly ignoring the part of Logan's body that was calling him like a siren's song. Remus focused on Logan's Vans, carefully undoing the laces and helping Logan step out of his clothes. Once Logan was free of his pesky accoutrements, Remus finally let himself look up, determined to explore the advantages of his kneeling position, and started by enjoying the view.

Logan smirked. "Are you waiting for my permission or something, Re?  _ I'm  _ ** _yours_ ** _ tonight _ ."

Logan was magnificent; all lean muscle and pale skin, and the beauty of him made Remus want to cry. He could have looked upon Logan with awestruck worship for hours... years... centuries... but Logan's words brought him back to himself.  _ His _ tonight? Remus bit his lip - his Creativity was running rampant, his mind flooding with ideas almost too fast to process. "...safeword?" he strangled out, fighting against the urge to just  _ take _ . He didn't  _ think _ he'd do anything Logan wouldn't like,  _ especially _ their first time together, but Remus had trouble with self-restraint and often went too far in other parts of his life, and this was too important to fuck up with his own eagerness.

Logan ran his fingers through Remus' hair, snickering. "Who needs safe words? I know you'll stop if you feel you need to. But why would I ever want that?" He leaned down a bit. "Now..." he put his hand on the back of Remus' head and pushed him forward. "Let's get started."

Never in Remus's wildest dreams did he think anyone would ever love him this much, trust him  _ this _ completely, challenge him to  _ rise _ to the occasion  _ (in  _ ** _every_ ** _ dirty sense of the word) _ . Remus was dizzy with arousal, and he shuddered, letting go of his last vestiges of control. Inky green tentacles burst from his back, spilling out around them and seeking out his lover. Two wrapped around Lo's wrists, pinning them above Logan's head. Remus briefly mourned the loss of Logan's fingers gripping his head and made a mental note to make sure Logan had ample opportunity to force Remus to gag on his lovely cock later. 

Two more tentacles wrapped around Logan's ankles, securing him in place. Another two drew up to chest-level and began to play with Logan's nipples, the soft suckers on the underside of the tentacles leaving trails of light-red marks across Logan's chest.

Letting his own palms skate up Logan's legs and caress his thighs, Remus finally let himself focus on his prize. Logan's cock, erect and weeping, stood out proudly from a nest of curls, and Remus fell even more in love. He kissed the tip, licking off the precome, and moaned at the taste. "So good," Remus said blissfully, "Gonna eat you up."

Logan smiled, glancing down at his boyfriend. "Please do."

He sighed in ecstasy as Remus forced himself onto his cock, sucking hard and with honest purpose. His tentacles held Logan fast, but not too tight that it was uncomfortable. He leaned his head back with a smile, biting his lip as Remus' hands rubbed his ass gently, then grabbed it seconds later. 

The two tentacles that were tracing his nipples made Logan sigh; they were soft and gentle, but also held a sense of strength that could be unleashed at any moment. The suction on his chest from them tickled slightly, bringing a small snicker.

He grew harder, then he sucked in a deep breath as he looked down. He pulled at one of his wrists, asking to be let go, and Remus gladly released one hand, which travelled straight to his head, grabbing at Remus' hair and forcing him further.

"Love...you've done it..." Logan murmured, letting out a moan as he came.

Remus hummed around Logan's cock, throat stretched and swallowing his come. He blindly reached down, fumbling open his own pants and pulling out his dick - it was shaped like a smaller version of his other tentacles, although it was a reasonable size compared to all the human male penises he'd seen while surfing the internet. He was so turned on that his normally-prehensile penis was swollen and could barely move on its own. He ran a fist over the sensitive glans, sobbing around Logan's cock still buried deep in his throat, not wanting this exquisite pleasure to end.

Logan brushed Remus' hair, cooing to him sweetly. "Is that good, love? Was it enough for you?" He tilted his head down a little more as he put his finger under Remus' chin, bringing his boyfriend's eyes up to his.

"Should we continue on the bed? I'm about ready for some more."

Remus let Logan's cock slide out of his mouth with a 'pop', grinning up a Logan. "I could  _ never _ have enough of you," he admitted, rising to his feet, tentadick still hard and aching but ignored again for the moment.

Remus's tentacles picked up Logan in a bridal carry and deposited him in the middle of the bed. Remus stumbled a little as he kicked off his boots and pants, using another tentacle against the floor for balance, before leaping onto the bed, quickly covering Logan's body with his own.

"Didja miss me?" Remus grinned, face inches away from Logan's.

Logan pulled him closer, meeting his eyes with a mischievous grin. "Of course."

He ran his tongue over the crease of Remus' lips, then pressed his own against Remus' violently, fingers tangling in his hair. Spit dripped from their mouths as they connected kiss after kiss, then Logan licked his lips.

"You're gorgeous, y'know that, Remus?"

"And don't you forget it," Remus teased back, "Gotta look good when I'm on your arm, make all the old farts at the faculty club jealous when they see what you get to come home to each night." Kissing his way down Logan's neck, he then latched onto his new-favorite spot on Lo's shoulder and sank his teeth in.

Logan leaned his head back, chewing his lip, then he reached down and took hold of Remus' dick. He gently began to jerk him off, a smile on his face as he extracted a large moan from his love.

"Does that feel good, Re?"

"Fuuuuck, yeah," Remus groaned, muffled into Logan's shoulder. "I love your-your hands, your fingers, god, you smell  _ amazing _ , and your cock tasted so  _ good _ , so big and heavy in my mouth, stretching me open..." His hips thrust eagerly into Logan's hand. "I'm...I'm close, Lo..."

Logan bit down on Remus' ear. "Don't hold back." He whispered.

Remus whimpered, chasing his climax. When he masturbated alone, he usually impaled himself on his own tentacles at both ends, and he didn't realize until this exact moment how comfortable he'd gotten with it and how hard it was to finish without some form of penetration. He was too close now, he couldn't focus enough to grab the lube from his bedside table or prepare himself, but maybe…

One of his tentacles looped behind Logan's neck, and dove into Remus's mouth, thrusting deep into his abused throat. The memory of Logan's cock in his mouth was so fresh, and paired with the stretch and burn of the tentacle forcing his jaw wide and his throat to relax, it was enough to push him over the edge. Remus shuddered in Logan's grip, his orgasm rushing through him and leaving him weak and boneless to collapse on top of his lover.

Logan smiled as he hugged Remus' limp body on top of him. "Well, you certainly have an interesting way of climaxing." He stroked Remus' cheek. "How about next time you let ME be your penetration, hmm?"

He then smirked. "Speaking of which..."

In a flash, he had somehow managed to roll on top of Remus without moving Remus from his face-down position. He sat up, kneeling over his boyfriend. He gently brushed his hands along Remus' back, smirking as all of the tentacles disappeared, leaving him with his pure boyfriend, just Remus. Logan leaned down to kiss the back of Remus' neck, running his tongue along the top vertebrae before his neck. 

"Are you ready to be fucked, love?"

Remus arched into the touch, still reeling from his orgasm. "Yes, please  _ fuck me _ ," he babbled, trying to get on his hands and knees, but post-climax and without his tentacles to help he was gangly as a newborn foal and quickly collapsed back into the sheets. " _ Help, _ " he whined pitifully and jiggled his ass in as enticing a manner as he could manage.

Logan chuckled. "God, you're adorable." He grabbed the tube of lube next to Remus' bed (he suspected it was there all the time) and gently worked some onto his fingers, then he smirked. "Open up..." He pushed his fingers into Remus' ass, spreading them apart and twisting them. As soon as he had gotten three fingers in up to the first knuckle, he began to pull them in and out, really making sure that his love would be nice and ready.

"Yesssss..." Remus hissed in pleasure, writhing on the bed and thrusting back onto Logan's fingers. He clutched the sheets in his fists, shamelessly wanton. "Give it to me. I can take it. Fuck me with your gloriously magnificent cock."

"Anything you want, love." Logan withdrew his fingers, then Remus felt the touch of Logan's cock against him. He bit his lip, then gasped as Logan thrust into him.

Logan held his boyfriend's waist, thrusting strongly and methodically, fucking Remus with the most perfect of forms. He leaned forward to chew on Remus' ear softly, nipping down on his neck. 

"How's this, darling?" He asked seductively, sucking a dark red hickey onto his love's neck. "I can go all night, so no worries about me stopping anytime soon."

Remus whimpered, completely at the mercy of his boyfriend and loving every  _ second _ of it. It was  _ torture _ being taken from behind, unable to cling or bite or fondle anything, and the frustration stoked the fire of Remus’s pleasure. Remus was pinned to the bed by Logan’s cock like a butterfly on a corkboard, and that train of thought led to Logan being a science nerd and other “experiments” Logan might like to use Remus for in the future, and Remus began to cry in sheer euphoria at all the wonderful new possibilities opening up now that they were together. “Love… you…” he sobbed between thrusts, filled and overwhelmed by Logan’s cock, his presence, and his love.

Logan smiled. "Aw, love you, too." He leaned down, forcing himself further, then he snuck his hand around, fingers wrapping around Remus' dick, rubbing softly and fondling his balls as he still thrust with the same strength down into his love.

Dizzy with lust, Remus whined and mewled from one exquisite sensation to the other and back again. He reached blindly for Logan's free hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing and licking and chewing on those talented fingers, moaning his cries of passion into Logan's flesh.

Logan's lips twitched up in a smirk, taking his other hand from Remus' cock and stroking Remus' cheek, then twirling his hair, then he moved it down to hug Remus closer, pinching his nipple and twisting his fingers lightly. He whispered in Remus' ear, "Am I doing a good job, love? Do you want anything else?" He asked, licking Remus' ear before giving it another nibble, finding that such an action was what got the biggest reaction from his boyfriend. That, and sucking on his neck. But Logan just snacked on Remus' ear, awaiting the reply from the man he was inside.

It was nearly impossible to form words, but Remus’s mind was still spiraling out of control, dreaming up images of Logan with a dangerously sharp scalpel looming over him, or “experimenting” with other substances like wax or acid or electricity-play… most of the scenarios dancing in his head were complicated and would probably require more equipment than he currently had at his disposal, along with prior-discussion before implementing, but maybe he could nudge Logan in the right direction… “Bite me…  _ mark _ me… make me yours.” Remus was already well on his way to being wrecked, but he wanted the physical reminders too, trails of bruises and lovebites and cuts pressed deep into his skin. He paid attention and knew about Logan’s love of Sherlock, and longed to tempt him like Moriarty - he wanted to be a fucking crime scene worthy of his attention.

"As you wish." Logan tilted Remus' head and ran his tongue along the skin before placing his teeth on Remus' neck and biting down, tasting blood at the force. He licked it away, smiling as he brought down another mark on Remus' shoulder that also drew the delicious crimson blood. Logan smirked as he grew hard, then he let out a hard breath and a groan as he climaxed, letting it all out inside Remus. His boyfriend moaned in exquisite pleasure as Logan pulled out, then he flipped Remus over, meeting his eyes. "Finally, I can gaze at your gorgeous face again. And now we can have some more fun." He grabbed Remus' wrists and held them above his head, pinning them to the bed. His lips slammed into Remus', their tongues old friends by now.

Through the kiss, Logan muttered, "I'll make you mine, love. Don't worry." His nails dug into Remus' wrists, then Logan lowered his head to gently bite Remus' nipple, licking around it as it grew hard. He snickered, lowering his head more to latch his teeth onto Remus' side, dragging his teeth along to create a long red scratch, then he sank his bite harder, drawing a small cry from Remus as Logan tasted more salty iron in his mouth. He pulled his mouth away after sucking a few dark red marks onto Remus' side, then he moved back up to meet the eyes of his boyfriend. "You want to be marked? I'll mark you." Taking one of his hands away from holding his love's wrists, he gently ran his fingers down Remus' other side, then he pressed his nails into the skin hard, dragging them down and ripping the skin that immediately turned wet with blood. Logan brought his hand back, running his blood-wet fingers down Remus' cheek, leaving two red lines.

"Do you want me to heal that for you so it doesn't bleed too much, or does it feel good?" He asked, then he returned to sucking more red marks onto Remus' neck, adding to the many he had already created. "What else do you want, love?"

“Feels...good… keep… let me…” Words. Remus could do words. He knew he was pretty good at words, but the damn fickle things were escaping him at the moment, slipping through his grasp. He didn’t want Logan to heal him, he wanted to keep every mark and wound, to treasure them in the in-between times until the next time when Logan would gift him with new ones.

What else did he want?? What  _ else _ could he  ** _have_ ** ??? Remus wanted Logan to cut him open, to tattoo Lo’s name across his heart and carve Lo’s name into his bones. He wanted a permanent limp, to always feel freshly-fucked and wrecked by his lover. He wanted to  _ never _ wear clothes again and to walk among the Light Sides with every bruise and mark and wound proudly on display, showcasing how much he was loved and treasured. He wanted whatever Logan wanted, wanted to be good for his lover and satisfy him in ways no one else ever would or  _ could _ .

Unable to put any of this into words at the moment, Remus just whined, tilting his neck under Logan’s mouth in the universal sign of submission, offering himself to his lover to be used as he wished.

Logan shrugged. "Okay then, my decision." He released Remus' wrist and moved down, dragging his nails across Remus' chest as he knelt at his groin, then his eye caught his boyfriend's before he lowered his head to suck on his balls, rubbing and massaging Remus' thighs as he sucked harder, drawing small whines from the Duke. Logan gently bit down, smiling as he extracted a cry from the man. Moving a bit, Logan kissed the tip of Remus' cock, gently running his fingers over it, licking up his shaft. Once he reached his balls again, he kissed each of them, then crawled back up to lay on top of his love.

"Okay, I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you can just nod yes or no, got it?"

Remus nodded, still unable to produce words.

Logan smirked, then leaned close. "I know you have a bunch of kinks. And I'm sure at least five of them include knives or weapons of some sort... So I'm going to ask, do you want that? For me to use a knife?"

Remus nodded frantically, his whining trailing into a higher, pleading lilt. In response to his emotions, one of the bedside drawers popped open, revealing a wide selection of sterile and sharp knives in a variety of sizes. Some blades were as simple and tiny as a scalpel, while others were curved like claws. Some blades were smooth and sleek, while others were as serrated and jagged as teeth. They all sat patiently, gleaming like stars on a bed of black velvet, ready and waiting to be used.

Logan cocked his eyebrow up. "You certainly  _ do _ have a kink for this." He leaned down, brushing Remus' hair away from his eyes with a sweet but mischievous smile. "Now baby, I'm going to need you to use your words. What do you want first?"

Remus blinked hard, mind spinning. Too many possibilities, they were flashing through his mind like a strobe light. Logan was being  _ so good _ to him, indulging in his kinks without hesitation, and Remus wanted to repay his kindness. His gaze caught on Logan's left ear, on the tiny star charms dangling from the black cuff. "Stars," Remus choked out. He shivered, imagining Logan using the knives to draw the night sky across his chest and back, a Milky Way stained in blood. "Your favorite... constellations... on me… please..."

Logan's eyes went wide, a smile growing across his face. "You want me to carve my stars onto you?" He said quietly, and Remus nodded excitedly. Logan smirked and reached for one of the smaller and more exact knives, holding it up and scraping his finger across it, testing its sharpness. "With pleasure, love." He put the knife to the skin on Remus' chest, then hesitated, but Remus' hand rubbing his cheek made him certain and he began to run the blade along his lover's skin, flinching at the blood at first, but after a few minutes he didn't even register it anymore. He smiled. "Scorpius. One of my favorite constellations, as well as my Zodiac sign." He said calmly as he dug the small scalpel into Remus' flesh, connecting dots with dots, painting a picture of his favorite night sky. Remus watched, entranced, as Logan's hand seemed to glide effortlessly with the knife, the constellations suddenly appearing, full and beautiful. He recognized one that Logan had sliced onto his side. Orion. The most well-known and possibly most beautiful constellation. However, it was even more beautiful when Remus considered it to be  _ Logan's _ constellation. He sighed, closing his eyes as he felt the knife run over him, turning onto his side so that Logan was able to begin his art on Remus' back. For thirty more minutes Remus lay and let Logan scar him, then he finally heard Logan set the scalpel down, then rolled him over to lay on top of him, the blood that stained his hands sending Remus to euphoria, knowing that his love had given him exactly what he'd wanted.

"How was that, darling?" Logan asked. "Eight different constellations and I added a few stars scattered in between. Did it feel good?" He cooed, connecting the two in a kiss.

"Amazing. Astronomical," Remus moaned between kisses, trying to come up with more space-themed words for his nerd, "Stellar. Cosmic. Super...star?" he trailed off, giggling, then gasped, " _ Interplanetary megastellar hydrostatic! _ "

Remus hummed, the melody resurfacing easily.  _ "Stargazing mega-fast, you hit me like a cosmic blast. You're giving me a technicolor world." _ Caressing Logan's face, Remus sang,  _ "Putting me in overdrive, speed of light, I'm so alive. Could you be my Supernova Girl?" _

Logan chuckled with a small shake of his head. "God, who would have ever thought that you'd be a nerd. I thought that was my job." He glanced down to examine his work, smiling. Tilting his head back up, he brought himself inches from his love's face. "I just adore you." He pulled Remus into another kiss, passionate and fierce, then a small murmur caught Remus' attention.

"Would you like to do the same to me?" The whisper was so sexual, so sweet, the words singing to the blade in question.

_ "Make my heart go boom boom," _ Remus gasped, excitement filling him with strength. "Yes,  _ please _ ." He flipped their positions, plucking the scalpel from where Logan had set it down. Technically, he  _ could _ use a different knife, but the idea of mixing their blood on the same blade was too thrilling, and Remus couldn't resist.

Logan's chest was still littered with love marks from Remus's tentacles, but there was plenty of space for Remus to have some fun. He licked away a few streaks of his own blood from Logan's chest, preparing his canvas. Hesitating with the blade poised over the skin, his gaze flickered up to Logan's face. "Any requests?" he asked, the question doubling as a chance for Logan to reconsider one last time before he started.

Logan looked thoughtful for a moment, then his mouth twitched up in a grin. "Are you aware of what Dopamine is, and the chemical makeup of love?"

He sighed when Remus stared at him with a slightly confused expression, then Logan smirked. "Here, let me show you." He reached for his phone, typed for a moment, then spun it around to show Remus a picture.

"The chemical structure. I know it's detailed, but it's what I want. Is that alright with you?"

" _ Definitely. _ " Remus released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. Logan  _ really did _ want this, he wasn't just humoring Remus's weird and bloody kinks. Not  _ only _ did he want Remus to cut him in return, but there was also a  _ pattern _ Logan wanted, something Remus could see and easily implement to make Logan happy. "Your wish is my command."

Remus set Logan's phone on the bedside table, and with a flick of his fingers, the chemical pattern shimmered into life in the air, glowing a radioactive neon green. Pinching the air like a pane of glass, Remus stretched it into the size he wanted and flipped it down to lay across Logan's skin. His gaze flickered back up to Logan's, and receiving a nod of approval, Remus bit his tongue in concentration and began to cut.

It was easier than he'd thought it would be. Remus was skilled with his knives and had carved various patterns into his own body countless times, and it was  _ much _ less distracting to use the knives on someone else. At least, pain-wise. Remus kept getting distracted by the blood seeping from Logan's wounds, and he would pause to lick and suck the blood away so he could see the glowing green pattern again. He sang softly while he engraved the symbols,  _ "Visions of your pretty face send me into Hyperspace. Caught up in a planetary whirl. Breathing in, you give me air. I'm living off your solar flare. Could you be my Supernova Girl?" _ He hummed as he worked quickly but carefully, inscribing the neat lines and complex chemical symbols, and soon the pattern was complete and the green glow faded away.

Logan peered down at the professional standard scar on his chest, and he smiled before wrapping his arms around Remus and pulling him down into a kiss, holding him for as long as he could before he was required to release him in order to breathe. Both men lay panting, then Logan spoke up. "You're so perfect, love.  _ This _ is perfect. I'm proud of you." He then leaned up to whisper in Remus' ear, "Now we've  _ really _ marked each other, haven't we?" A small little snicker escaped Logan's lips. "We got a  _ lot _ more naughty than I thought we would. But you know what?" Nibbling on the lobe of Remus' ear, Logan sighed. "I wouldn't have had tonight go any other way."

Remus kissed Logan and rested their foreheads together.  _ "I love you more than words can wield the matter," _ he whispered. His own words were failing him, so he drew upon the master wordsmith to express his feelings, knowing that his love would recognize and appreciate Shakespeare.  _ "Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty. Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare; no less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour. As much as child e’er lov’d, or father found; a love that makes breath poor, and speech unable. Beyond all manner of so much I love you." _

Logan's eyes were wide, then he sighed with a happy smile. "God, the man I adore is quoting Shakespeare to tell me how much he loves me. Could you be any more PERFECT?!" He moaned, nuzzling against Remus' forehead. “Love, can we go to bed? I would just like to lie with you and fall asleep in your arms where I feel safest.”

Remus nodded and was about to grab the blankets when he paused. "Oh! Real quick, hold that thought..." He reached for Logan's phone - his own was buried in the heap of his clothes on the floor, and while he  _ could _ have manifested a tentacle to grab it without leaving the bed, it was easier to just snag Logan's phone instead. It was still unlocked from when Logan showed him the chemical formula, and Remus navigated to the camera app and snapped a few quick closeups of each of their chests, before holding the camera at arm's length to include both himself and Logan in the shot. "Selfie!" Remus chirped, grinning happily, and then attached the image files on a text message sent to his own phone. "Okay,  _ now _ I can sleep." Tossing the phone gently onto the nightstand, Remus pulled the blankets up over them and snuggled into Logan's arms.

"Y'know you're adorable when you're clingy." Logan said, then he leaned his head on top of Remus' as he reached over him to flick off the light. Bringing his hand back, he laced his fingers through Remus' hair, gently rubbing his boyfriend's head. "I love you," He whispered, kissing Remus' forehead before laying his own head back, pulling the Duke close and letting sleep finally overwhelm him.


	6. A New Way of Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the morning after! Logan continues to mend bridges with the other sides. Virgil can't help making jokes. Patton is an innocent fluffball. Logan's new form comes with a few new surprises...

It was early morning when Remus stirred, blinking his eyes open. He crossed his eyes, watching the tiny spider tap on the bridge of his nose with one limb. "I'm up," Remus murmured under his breath, and the spider grabbed a strand of silk and crawled back up to the ceiling.

Yawning, Remus disentangled himself from Logan, careful not to wake his love. He wasn't sure what time Logan usually woke up, but he doubted it was much earlier than Thomas himself, which meant he had about an hour - plenty of time to see what Virgil wanted and come back with some breakfast to surprise his lover in bed. Remus grabbed his phone and slid on a dark green satin robe that ended mid-thigh and loosely tied the belt, leaving the top to gape open. Slipping out of his room, he headed to the dark side kitchen, the smell of coffee luring him more than the obligation of conversation.

There was a mug ready for him, and Remus accepted it and downed half the contents in one long swallow. Virgil took the time to let his gaze travel down and back up Remus's body, nose crinkling at the smell of sex and dried blood. "Geez, you know that stuff's supposed to stay on the  _ inside _ of your body, right?"

Remus chuckled, proud of the marks his boyfriend had given him, and glad he had the opportunity to show them off a little. "You should see the other guy."

Virgil grimaced, "Let's not and say I did."

"Your loss." Remus said, and sipped the coffee, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "So, what's up?"

Virgil sighed. "Pat wants to talk to Logan. He wants to try to figure out how things are going to work around here now that Lo is Neutral and all that. Not my scene, but hey, I'm the only one who can get into your room right now.”

“Can’t you stall him?” Remus asked.

Virgil lifted one eyebrow, “I’ve  _ been _ stalling him. How do you think you managed to get a full night’s sleep? Or a full night’s… whatever…” he said, gesturing at Remus’s chest.

Remus groaned, crossing his arms on the table and burying his head on them. “Fiiiiine.” he muttered, muffled.

"Could you tell Lo? I don't want Patton to break through the floor with all the pacing he's been doing. I'm surprised his legs haven't fallen off by now." Virgil shrugged. "Anyway, yeah, that's all I need. Please don't share your fucky time stories with any of us, none of us need to know, okay, Re?" He stated, then he spun and walked away, giving him a glance over his shoulder. "You and Lo are still cute together, though."

Remus called after him, "If that jealousy ever gets to be too much, you're welcome to join us some night."

Virgil laughed, flipping him the bird before disappearing down the hall. Remus finished his coffee, then refilled his mug along with a second one for Logan. Grabbing a tray, Remus collected the makings of a hearty breakfast: steak, steamed spinach with apricots, ramen swimming in maple syrup, and tomato juice. He came across a jar of Crofter's in the cabinet that had  _ not _ been there yesterday and kissed the jar, sending wordless thanks to Virgil who must've filched it from Roman's hoard to surprise him. Remus spread a sizable amount of the jam on several slices of toast, and took the tray of food back to his room to surprise his lover.

~

Logan stirred when he felt someone shaking his shoulder. He groaned, then a kiss on his forehead brought a smile to his face and he opened his eyes to Remus' smile. "I brought you breakfast, love." He said, and Logan sat up with a yawn, stretching his arms over his head then grabbing his glasses, adjusting them before he turned back to his boyfriend. He looked down to see the large array of food, but his eyes were stuck on one thing. Remus chuckled and pushed the toast towards him. "Toast with Crofter's. Your favorite, darling."

Logan grinned, taking the toast and immediately snacking down on it, sighing in contentment. He finished the toast in no time, as he and Remus made humorous conversation over their coffee, then finally Logan stood up and grabbed his clothes, headed towards Remus' bathroom. "I'm gonna take a shower. Please tell me you have something other than your own brand of soap in here," he shrugged. "No offense to you, love."

Remus chuckled and nodded. "It’s a compliment. Yeah, I grabbed a bunch of your stuff from your room yesterday and brought it here. I had a feeling you’d want a shower after last night."

Logan chuckled, then walked into the bathroom. Moments later, Remus heard the shower turn on, then he heard humming. He smirked. Standing up, he went to lean against the bathroom door. 

"So, when you get out, Pat wanted to see you."

There was a pause, and then Logan's voice floated out, "The timing is deplorable, but I suppose it's to be expected."

Remus agreed, but then again, anytime before the sun eventually collapsed in on itself was too soon for Logan to leave his room, if you asked him. He stepped further into the bathroom, fishing out his phone from his robe pocket. "We might be able to put him off a  _ little _ longer," Remus said, using the bathroom mirror to take a few more selfies of the bloody mess that was his chest, side, and back. "Virge said he was getting pretty impatient, though, so maybe not."

"Mmm. Better to confront this head-on." 

Remus hummed, conceding the point as he picked out one of his fluffiest towels and hung it within easy reach of the shower. Stepping back out of the bathroom, he collected his clothes from the pile on the floor and tossed them in the direction of the dirty clothes hamper. Pulling an identical outfit out of the closet, he draped it over a chair to change into after his own shower.

Meanwhile, Logan sighed, running his hands through his hair under the shower head. It was odd to have his hair shorter, even if just by a little bit. As he washed his body, he smiled as his hands ran over each and every line that had been cut last night. Red swirled at the drain as the dried blood began to wash off. A few minutes later, Logan turned off the shower, stepping out to grab the towel that Remus had left for him. Drying himself off, he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

He'd have to deal with Patton at some point or another, might as well get it over with.

He pulled on his underwear, then his dark jeans, followed by pulling his shirt over his chest, careful not to hit any of his cuts. Tucking it in and then tying his new all-black tie, he looked in the mirror, brushed his hair back, then walked out.

"Ah, there's my handsome boyfriend." Remus remarked.

Logan chuckled, then sat down to pull on his socks and sneakers. He looked up at Remus. "I hate to say it, but I have to go. Patton won’t wait long, we both know how impatient he is."

Logan stood up then brushed Remus' cheek with the back of his hand. "I love you..." 

He gave Remus a quick kiss before sinking out to face his friend and the million questions he was bound to have.

Remus sighed and let the robe fall off his shoulders to puddle on the floor. Kicking it aside, he strode into the bathroom to make himself "presentable" and get ready for the day.

~

Patton was brooding in the Light Sides' kitchen, sipping on a drink that looked like it contained far more cream and sugar than actual coffee. He looked up as Logan arrived, automatically reaching for the coffee pot to pour a second mug.

"No, thank you," Logan said. "I already had coffee with Remus."

"Oh," Patton visibly deflated. He fiddled awkwardly with the mug in his hands. "Is this... is this how it's gonna be now? No more famILY breakfasts?"

Logan hesitated. "Hardly a  _ family _ breakfast with several members not invited," he finally pointed out, purely objectively.

Patton winced, staring into the depths of his coffee.

Logan sighed. "I...I'm sorry, Patton. That came out much harsher than I meant it to." He sat down across the counter from him and laid his hand atop Patton's. The Light Side looked up at the Neutral. "I know...I know that things are changing. That things aren't going to be the way they were. But that doesn't mean we aren't still a family, Patton." Logan said softly, then he frowned at the look that Patton gave him. "What is it?"

“It’s just… you’re really different, Lo. It’s not just the outfit,” Patton said, waving a hand at Logan’s new appearance. “The way you’ve been acting… it’s gonna take some getting used to.” Patton brightened, “I could make you some toast! Thomas just picked up some more Crofter’s, and-” he trailed off, dimming at the expression on Logan’s face, “-you’ve already eaten with Remus, too.”

A soft, fond smile crossed Logan’s face. “Re surprised me with breakfast in bed.”

“Thoughtful kid.” Patton admitted. “He seems to really love you.”

“He  ** _does_ ** really love me.” Logan corrected, his voice firm.

Logan immediately bit his lip at Patton's slightly shocked face, knowing that his tone had changed drastically within a matter of seconds. He hung his head, closing his eyes. He hated to admit when he had made mistakes, he hated to admit when he was in over his head, but now, with something this new, he wasn't as hesitant about asking. 

"Patton...I need your help."

“My-my help?” Patton said. “I mean, of course! I’ll help any way I can! What-” he pushed up his glasses, peering curiously at Logan, “What do you want me to do?”

Logan sighed. "Pat, despite feeling clearer than I ever have, I've never been more confused. Well, confused isn't the right word... I'm just uncertain and scared."

Patton leapt up, coffee forgotten on the table as he enfolded Logan into a hug. “You’re not the only one,” Patton confessed, squeezing Logan tight, “I’m uncertain and scared too. But Thomas is gonna be okay, and I think we will be too.”

The Neutral side shook his head, leaning against Patton's shoulder. "It's not just what's happening with Thomas, but what about me, Pat? I know I said I'd be able to, but I'm starting to doubt whether or not I'll truly be able to control both aspects." His breath shook as if he were holding back tears.

Patton rubbed Logan's arm. "Lo, I know that you can do this. Do you know why  _ you _ , of all the sides, turned to a Neutral side?" He asked, then upon Logan's eyebrow raise he squeezed his hand. "Because you're the strongest of all of us.  _ You always have been _ . You're the only one able to handle this. I know you're scared, Lo. But you know that I'll be here for you the whole way. Anything you need, I'll help you with. Promise."

Logan looked up with tears in his eyes. "But...but aren't you afraid of me? I could just  _ snap _ at any moment! My whole life I've been Logic, but now I have to focus on keeping the aspect of Anger in check, too? How am I supposed to just jump right into this?!" His voice was becoming hysterical, and Patton wrapped him in a hug, comforting him.

“It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, and it’s going to take time to get used to it.” Patton said, rubbing gentle circles into Logan’s back. “But I’ve been thinking about it all night, and Dee’s right. This is something Thomas needs right now, and you wouldn’t have been given this new aspect if Thomas didn’t know  _ deep down _ that you could handle it.”

He leaned back a little to look into Logan’s eyes, “Yeah, you _could_ snap. But so could any of us. If you go too far, we’ll reel you back in. If you break, we’ll pick up the pieces and put you back together again. You’re not alone, Lo. No matter what.”

Tears dripped down Logan's chin, and he nodded silently. "Thank you, Patton…" He sniffed as he wiped them away with his hand, wanting to be sure that no one but Patton could know he had cried. Then a sound from the other side of the room showed Roman walking out of his room, stretching with a yawn. Logan smiled. 

"Good morning, Roman."

Roman jolted, still not fully awake. "Lo! I...uh...I thought you stayed with my brother last night..." he said, the idea still a bit odd to him but he was willing to endure if it meant both Logan and Remus' happiness. 

Logan nodded. "I did. But Patton wished to speak with me. I apologize that I have already eaten, but feel free to sit with us." He said, and Roman lifted his eyebrow in slight caution.

"You okay there, Lo? You seem...unusually calm. And...nice."

Logan rolled his eyes with a smile. "Yes, well, I am trying  _ very _ hard, trust me. But, Patton has assured me that he is going to help me get through this new change." Logan chuckled nervously. "I'm not sure if you can tell, but I am honestly absolutely terrified of what could happen. But Thomas needs me for a reason, and it is my job to keep him functioning. So I will endure."

“Fortune favors the brave.” Roman said, clapping Logan on the back. “Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered we’ll be there to fight by your side, Specs. Never give up, never surrender, and just keep swimming. This too shall pass. Stay calm and don’t blink.”

“That was a whole lotta different pop culture references you just mashed together, Princey.” Virgil wandered into the kitchen, refilling his extra-large mug of coffee. “I thought you weren’t supposed to cross the streams?”

“They’re all applicable,  Peter Vexing-man !” Roman exclaimed, and then grinned at Logan, “And I  _ do _ have so much trouble picking just one.”

Virgil sipped his coffee, eyeing Logan. “You’re looking… normal.  _ Ish _ .”

Logan smoothed down his tie self-consciously where it had gotten wrinkled from Patton’s hug. “Were you expecting something different?”

Virgil grinned, “I saw Remus this morning.”

Logan blushed, and Patton looked between them, confused. Roman started to gag, “Oh, gross, I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.”

Logan scoffed. "Oh, grow up, Roman." He said, bringing a snicker from Virgil.

Roman frowned. "UH UH! I don’t need to be hearing about what you and Remus got into last night-"

"So how many scars do  _ you _ have, Lo?" Virgil asked with a smirk. "I saw how many Remus had. You guys certainly had  _ fun _ ." He remarked, bringing a retching sound from Roman and wide eyes from Patton.

"Scars? What...what is he talking about, Lo?" Patton asked with concern, and Logan opened his mouth to answer, hesitated, then shook his head.

"No, you're too innocent to know. I'll tell you when you're older." He said with a wink, standing up after deciding to pour himself another cup of coffee.

Virgil was trying not to laugh at Roman's efforts to keep his stomach contents down just  _ thinking _ about what Lo and his brother must have done. He knew about a lot of his brother's... _ kinks _ . Had Logan really gone along with them? Had he changed that much? He shuddered, then sat down with a sigh, surprised as Logan slid a cup of coffee in front of him, made exactly the way that Roman liked it, two creams and three sugars. His eyes went wide, looking up at Logan.

"You haven't made me coffee in  _ years _ ," he said, and Logan just smiled. 

"Well, I still remember how you take it. Consider it an apology for my actions yesterday." He said with a small hint of pain, and Roman nodded. 

"Thanks, Lo."

“Now that everybody’s kissed and made up,” Virgil drawled, “we should probably figure out what’s on the docket for today.” He had his phone out, and was scrolling through the various social medias. “Word about the fight hasn’t gotten out to the fanbase yet, but it’s only a matter of time before it does, and they should probably hear it from Thomas first before the rumor mill gets going.” Virgil winced, “Broken wrists take, like, eight weeks to heal  _ minimum _ , and that’s going to put some serious delays in Thomas’s video schedule, unless Logan or Joan can figure out a way to film around it.”

“Thomas should rest!” Patton exclaimed, “He needs to heal and get better!”

“He can heal and surf the internet at the same time,” Roman offered. “And it’s a noble tale to tell, our Thomas coming to a prince’s aid! There’s no shame in letting people know what happened.”

“Except that Thomas got in a  _ fight _ .” Virgil stressed, “And he got  _ beat up _ . People are gonna be mad that he didn’t just let the police handle it, and they might think he’s weak because he didn’t win the fight. Plus, telling the story might make some of Thomas’s younger audience freak out and be too scared to go to Pride events in the future!”

Logan took a deep breath. " _ Or _ ," he began, "We could consider the logical approach. Thomas does explain the truth, and considering the fact that had he waited for the police to handle it, a young boy may have died, as well as he was doing the honorable thing to make sure others were kept safe. It's not a matter of whether he lost the fight or not. It's the principle. Thomas's fanbase, although they will question him for getting into a fight, will most likely see him as a hero; he was a Prince who chased after the villain to protect the people he cares about." Logan looked around. "Not all battles are going to be won. But the important thing is that the truth comes out, and that Thomas is okay, aside from a broken wrist."

He then shrugged. "And I believe that Thomas won't let a broken wrist stop him from making videos. He's  _ Thomas _ ." He linked his hands together calmly. "Does that sound acceptable?"

“Sounds  _ logical _ ,” Virgil agreed, hiding a self-satisfied smile behind another sip of coffee. He’d  _ maybe _ reached a little in an effort to ramp up the panic, but Logan had responded exactly the way he’d wanted, calmly shooting down the irrational fears and distilling the situation to its key points.

"Thank goodness Thomas is left-handed!" Patton said, looking on the bright side. "He can still write, and eat, and do  _ other _ things one-handed!"

Virgil choked on his coffee, coughing and sputtering.

"Yeah,  _ lots _ of  _ other things _ he can do one-handed," Roman snorted.

Patton blinked, "...yeah? Like scroll through his phone? Or pet dogs! Or, um, give one-arm hugs?"  Logan and the others were quiet, exchanging glances and trying not to laugh.

Logan nodded. "Ah, yes, Patton. That is  _ exactly _ what he can do. NOTHING else," he glared at Roman and Virgil with a hint of amusement, because he knew that he himself was trying to hold back the urge to make the dirty joke.

God, was Remus rubbing off on him (well, of course he was, but in a very different sense), or had his personality changed so much that he now had a... sense of humor?

“Don’t be silly, Logan! There’s probably  _ lots _ else Thomas can do with one hand!” Patton bounced, warming to the tangent. “Like snap his fingers! Or play a triangle! Or crack an egg! Or play a board game… Ooo, do you think Talyn or Joan might want to come over and play a game? They could sign Thomas’s cast!”

Logan bit back every single remark he wanted to make and finally had enough self restraint to answer. "Y-yeah, Pat. I'm sure he  _ could _ do other things. And your idea of Joan and Talyn signing his cast is a fantastic idea. Perhaps he could go to Dominic, Camden, Adri, Terrence, Leo, Jamahl, Britney, and Valerie, too. And all his other friends. I am sure they would be more than willing to sign his cast."

Patton squealed, clapping his hands excitedly. “Oh! This’ll be so much  _ fun _ !”

“Speaking of,” Roman added, “I  _ think _ I remember where I put that Sharpie multipack Thomas bought a few months ago - we could have each of Thomas’s friends sign in a different color! Go  _ full _ rainbow!”

“Could be gayer,” Virgil snarked.

"I'm not sure how?" Roman shot back, grinning, "But I'm open to suggestions, my Dark and Stormy Knight?"

Logan gave Virgil a disapproving look, mouthing the words, 'Don't you DARE'. He knew exactly what Virgil had meant by that, and although the same thought had popped into his head, at least he wasn't about to say it out loud.

He then forced a grin. "Roman, why don't you tell Pat where the sharpies are, and he can go get them while I have a little  _ chat _ with you both?" His voice was stern, and Roman nodded immediately.

"Yeah, Patton, the container is upstairs in the bookcase in my bedroom." 

Patton jumped up with a smile and ran up the stairs. As soon as he was out of earshot, Logan grabbed the front of both Roman and Virgil's shirts. He looked them dead in the eye.

"Okay, you two. There is absolutely  _ no need _ for you to be taunting him like that. Sure, he doesn't get the jokes, he's too innocent, but it still doesn't make it right. And I know I made a few, too, but it stops now, okay? We're a family, and we  _ respect _ one another. Got it?" He hissed, and both boys nodded, then Roman drew back.

"But how can we  _ not _ think about it when you come here this morning after fucking my broth-"

Logan dragged Roman close, inches from his face. " _ DEAL WITH IT. _ " He snarled. "There is no reason to bring it up, I had no plans to, it was Virgil who mentioned it. Now, I have fairly good self-control, Roman, but you know as well as I that I can be  _ very _ violent. So, you might not want to cross me now that I also hold the power of Fury. Are we clear?"

Roman's eyes were wide with fear, nodding quickly. "Y-yep. No problem, Logan." 

The Neutral side released Creativity, a smile back on his face as if nothing had happened. "Wonderful. I'm glad we're all on the same page." He said casually, taking a slow sip of his coffee.

Virgil and Roman met wide eyes, moving over to the couch. Virgil scooted closer to Roman, whispering, "Okay, as cool as he is now, he also scares me. He is completely different." His voice was nervous.

Roman raised his eyebrow. "You mean he didn't scare you before?" He then shook his head. "But I agree. Logic might still be Logic, but Logan isn't the Logan we knew."

"For obvious reasons."

The smooth voice behind them made them both jump about a foot, spinning to see Logan leaning on the back of the couch with a smirk. "You two aren't that great at trying to hide conversations. I could hear every single word."

He sighed.

"Virgil, I apologize if I seem to frighten you now. I am still trying to learn to properly balance my responsibilities, seeing as they are doubled now. However, I also appreciate your praise of calling me 'Cool'. It is certainly nice to be considered as such." Logan turned to Roman. "And I'm well aware that I'm not the same. I know this is going to take some getting used to for all of us. But trust me when I say that this is for the best. This is what Thomas needs, and as Logic, I am Thomas' primary function. Without me, he wouldn't be able to breathe. So remember that I am still Logic, Roman. I understand your fear at the thought of Fury. Until now, yes, it was a side that we hoped never to encounter, however I knew that someday I would have to take the responsibility."

There was a clattering sound like a herd of elephants tumbling down the stairs, then Patton burst into the common room, waving the Sharpie multipack like a prize. “Found it!” Pat was grinning, oblivious to any remaining tension in the room. “I was thinking I could draw some puppies and kittens on Thomas’s cast! And then write,  _ ‘Sorry you're feeling  _ ** _ruff._ ** _ Hope you're  _ ** _feline_ ** _ better soon!’ _ Get it??”

Logan groaned, shaking his head with a smile. "Will your puns ever cease?" He remarked, but Patton only stuck his tongue out. Logan sighed then crossed his arms. "Shall we call Thomas in and explain everything we've just discussed? I would like to get to work."

“Perfect timing,” Virgil said, looking at his phone, “Dee just texted - Thomas woke up a little while ago and is finishing breakfast now.” His phone hummed as another text came in, and Virgil chuckled, “We should probably rescue Dee anyway - he gets cranky when he doesn’t get his beauty sleep.” 

Logan scoffed quietly. "Yeah, cuz 'beauty' sleep has done him so well in the past..." he muttered, then he looked up to see the others staring at him. He returned a flat face. "What? Nothing. Ah, Patton, can you call Thomas in? He seems to respond the best to you."

“Now Logan,” Patton frowned, his voice taking on a disappointed paternal tone. “ _ Everybody _ is beautiful, including snakes.” he chided, but let the topic drop. He tucked the markers under one arm and closed his eyes, rubbing his hands together, “Calling Thomathy, come in Timmy Tom-boy Tammycakes.”

A moment later, Thomas rose up into the mindscape, cradling his cast. The skin around his eye was a deep, angry purple, and there was more bruising around his lip, but otherwise he was alert and intact. “Heyyyyyyy, guys.” Thomas said, embarrassed. “Guess you all heard what happened yesterday?”

Logan nodded, meeting Thomas' eyes. "Indeed we did. And..." he cleared his throat. "I do believe that I am at fault for much of it."

Everyone snapped their gazes to Logan with wide eyes. He had actually  _ admitted _ to a mistake?!

Logan adjusted his glasses. "I...I am truly sorry for what happened to you, Thomas. As you saw yesterday and as you see now, my purpose in your mind has shifted, causing my aspects to...transition."

“Logan,” Thomas yelped, “I don’t blame you for anything! I  _ chose _ to get in that fight, and I didn’t stop to think…” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck ruefully, “ _ I’m _ sorry if my actions forced your aspect to change. I… I can’t say that I’d make a different decision if I had to do it all over again, but I know how hard change can be, and I’m sorry I’m putting you through that.”

Logan's eyes went wide, startled at the apology, then he smiled faintly. "There is no need for you to be sorry, Thomas. In fact, although I am still adjusting to this, I feel like I have more clarity in my life than ever before." He sighed. "I believe that I knew that eventually I would have to accept the burden of Fury. That's not to say I was ready for it, but I am more than willing to carry the weight if it means you remain well-functioning."

“Well, hopefully it won’t be  _ too much _ of a weight,” Thomas smiled. “I don’t plan on losing my temper very often, but if it gets to be too much,  _ please _ let me know. I… don’t know what I’ll be able to do to help, but I still want to know.”

Logan chuckled. "I will be sure to let you know if it starts to be." He tapped the tips of his fingers together. "Now. I have a solution as to how to explain what happened, and what we can do about it. The four of us," he gestured to Patton, Roman, Virgil and himself. "Discussed the best course of action, and we decided that it is to tell the truth about what happened, what you did. We should not wait for the fanbase to hear about it from somewhere else and then rumors get twisted and spread like viruses. And as for your broken wrist, let us be thankful that it is your right hand so that you may not be hindered from your work. Meaning you can still film. Patton had the idea of getting all of your friends to sign your cast," Patton smiled and handed the pack of Sharpies to Thomas. "I believe that as long as we stay positive about all of this, then there will be nothing to worry about. And Thomas?"

Thomas was nodding along, brightening with every word. This was good, he could do this. His sides had a plan, and it was a  _ good _ plan. “Yeah, Lo?”

Logan smiled warmly. "I'm proud of how you handled the situation. Even if it ended in a fight, you were willing to risk your own safety to stick up for a kid you didn't even know. That's admirable."

“You proved yourself quite a knight in shining armor!” Roman proclaimed.

Virgil admitted, “You didn’t let your anxiety stop you from doing the Right Thing.”

“I’m just so gosh-darn proud of you!” Patton exclaimed, throwing his arms around Thomas in a bear hug.

“Guys!” Thomas sputtered, patting his Morality on the back, “ _ Thank you _ . It… it really means  _ a lot _ to me that you all support me so much.”

Logan shrugged, crossing his arms. "Mental health is important, and if I can't keep you going, then hell, none of these guys can!" He chuckled.

He then looked up when he heard it go quiet to see everyone staring at him with wide eyes. "What?”

Roman blinked a few times. "You...you made a joke. Genuinely. You...you  _ laughed _ . What?" He said with shock, causing Logan's eyebrow to rise, tilting his head.

"Was I really that much of a bore before that a simple  _ chuckle _ now seems like a biblical-sized event?" He asked. He looked slightly taken aback. "Frankly, that's rather insulting."

“No!” Thomas assured him, “You weren’t a  _ bore! _ You were just… serious.”

“You used to laugh a lot more, back during the early videos,” Patton murmured. “I… I missed it. It’s  _ nice _ to see you smile again, Lo.”

Logan stood silent for a moment, then a very faint grin slowly spread across his face as he tucked his hands in his pockets. "So, you...you don't mind that I'm different now? You don't care that I'm...basically half Dark Side?" He asked quietly, quickly glancing down at himself then back up.

“It might take some getting used to,” Roman said, slinging an arm across Logan’s shoulders, “But… it’s  _ good _ to see that Gloomy Gus exterior crack a bit.”

“Life’s too short to be serious forever,” Virgil said, smiling morbidly.

“You’re still  _ you _ , Logan, and we  _ love _ you, no matter  ** _how_ ** you change or grow.” Patton’s voice was soft, sincere. “That’s what family’s  ** _for_ ** .” 

Thomas nodded, “Different can be good! Life would get pretty boring if nothing ever changed, right?”

Logan blinked a few times, then smiled, leaning against Roman. "I guess things are a lot better, then. Because I feel more complete than I ever have.”

Virgil raised his eyebrow. "You sure Remus doesn't have a part to play in that?" He asked with a smirk. Logan's eyes went wide.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH."

"Wait, what?" Thomas said, looking between his sides. "What about Remus?" Logan glared at Virgil, who mimed zipping his lips, while Roman looked torn between amusement and nausea. "Guys, what  _ exactly _ did I miss while I was asleep?"

"Oh! That's right! You don't know yet!" Patton chirped, his eyes nearly dancing with little heart emojis, "Logan and Remus are dating now!"

Thomas blinked as he processed the information. "Really?" he asked Logan, unable to hide his disbelief.

Logan smirked with a shrug. "What can I say? I admire his spirit."

"Is  _ that _ what the kids are calling it these days?" Virgil snarked, pretending to cough.

Logan rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Oh, shut up, Virge." He flicked his eyebrows up. "Are you jealous or something?" He snarked.

“Kiddos,” Patton warned them, “I’m sure there’s plenty of Remus to go around.” Ignoring their shocked expressions, Patton turned back to Thomas, his voice dropping back into excited-kid whisper, “Did you know he can make  _ tentacles _ ? He can hug each of us  _ at the same time _ !!! I’m kinda jealous…”

Logan's eyes went wide. "Uh, Pat, that's not exactly normal... And trust me, you really don't want a hug from those things."

"Yeah. Don't be jealous, Padre! Your hugs are the  _ best _ !" Roman chimed in.

Patton squealed, happily launching himself at Roman, who caught the fluffball in open arms and hugged him tight, spinning him like a Disney princess.

Logan caught Virgil's eye, both appreciating the childhood innocence that Patton still possessed. Logan then met Thomas' eye. “Yeah, I'm dating Remus. Oh, and you should probably know that Roman tried to  _ maul _ me when he first found out."

“I APOLOGIZED FOR THAT!” Roman shrieked, lowering Patton to the ground, “Can’t a prince make a  _ mistake _ without it coming back to bite him every five minutes???”

“I dunno,” Virgil snickered mischievously, “Logan’s the expert in things that  _ bite _ , apparently.”

Logan snapped his head to him with wide eyes. "WILL YOU SHUT UP?!"

"I would say,  _ ‘Make me’, _ but I'm pretty sure Remus would get jealous if you tried." Virgil teased.

"OKAY! Okay!" Thomas waved his hands wildly in the air, before covering his own ears as well as he could with one hand in a cast, "That's enough for today, I don't need to hear anymore!"

Every single pair of eyes spun to Logan, whose own eyes darted nervously around the room. He then shook his head. "HEY, VIRGIL IS THE ONE WHO BROUGHT IT UP! I  _ NEVER _ WOULD HAVE SAID ANYTHING!!"

“Sorry,” Virgil said, not sounding sorry at all. “I just can’t help myself. You’re so  _ cute _ when you’re flustered.”

Logan narrowed his eyes. "Careful, Virgil. You're poking the dragon here. And my flame is pretty painful." His voice was stern, but not truly vicious yet.

Virgil raised his hands, palms out, “S’all in good fun,” he said, but let the topic drop again. Thomas hesitantly lowered his hands, watching the other sides carefully in case he needed to cover his ears again.

Patton gasped, poking Logan’s new dragon ear-wrap, “Is  _ that _ why you have the new cute little earrings?” he exclaimed, bouncing giddily, eyes wide, “Can you  _ really _ breathe fire now??”

Logan bit his lip. "That was more of a metaphor than anything, but...ah..." He bit his lip as he scrunched up his face. "While we  _ are _ on the topic..."

Everybody took a hasty step back from Logan. "If you're going to try to breathe fire, can we go outside?" Thomas pleaded, "I  _ know _ this is the mindscape, but Remus setting fire to everything during his song and dance is  _ still _ pretty fresh, and I'd rather  _ not _ go through that again?"

Logan shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that...It's just..." He looked up at Virgil. "You know how each of the Dark Sides have their correlated animal, correct? Remus-octopus, Deceit-snake, you-spiders?"

"Creepy crawly death dealers," Patton muttered under his breath, shuddering.

Logan sighed. "And I'm sure that you also know that you and Deceit and Remus share traits with said animals, such as certain body parts and the ability to communicate?"

Virgil shot Patton a sympathetic glance, and nodded at Logan, "...yeah? You're saying... what? You have  _ dragon _ body parts now?" He eyed Logan from head-to toe. "Are they under your clothes?" he asked, wincing.

Logan face-palmed. "NO. THAT IS  _ NOT _ WHAT I AM SAYING. " He then took his hand away. "Well, not exactly, at least..."

"What  _ are _ you saying, Logan?" Thomas asked, curious.

Logan rubbed the back of his head. "Weelllll....since I'm not a Dark Side  _ or _ a Light Side, the rules are  _ slightly _ different for me..."

The sides and Thomas glanced at each other, clearly not sure where Logan was going with this. "And that means…?" Patton encouraged.

Logan pushed his glasses up with his fingers, rubbing his eyes. "Ah...go outside. I'll show you."

Together, the group trooped outside - but instead of the community of other apartments that Thomas lived next to in real life, the "outdoors" of the mindscape opened into a sunny meadow with a forest beyond. Patton spun around happily in the sunshine while Virgil raised his hood to protect himself from the evil light, and Roman dug a pair of stylish sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on.

"Okay." Thomas said, gesturing at Logan. "What did you want to show us?”

Logan clicked his tongue, took a deep breath, then as if someone had erased him from existence, he was gone.

The others snapped their heads around, looking frantically. "Where did he go?!" Patton cried.

Roman's heart was beating frantically, then he saw a small movement on the edge of the trees. His eyes narrowed as he lowered his sunglasses. A dark, large, creature. His eyes went wide. "There's something in the trees-"

Suddenly a roar sounded, making everyone shout. The shape sprung into the air, and Roman's eyes were wide as the animal he had admired since childhood circled the air above him. His breath was taken away when he saw the shape of the dragon.

"That...that's a Night Fury...they're so rare....Did Logan conjure it or something?" He murmured, but Thomas shook his head.

"I don't know! I don't know where he is!"

"Guys." Virgil pointed out the obvious, "I think... Logan  _ is _ the dragon."

Suddenly the dragon dove, landing on the ground directly in front of them, its bright green eyes staring at all of them. Then in a flash, Logan stood where the beast had been, arms crossed with a smirk, the green eyes fading back to his ocean blue. "You wanted to know, now you know."

Patton began to vibrate, squealing high enough that the glass in his and Logan's frames threatened to crack.

Roman was also having a personal meltdown. "You can turn into a  _ dragon _ now? That's so  _ not _ fair!" he turned to Thomas, " ** _I_ ** want to be a dragon! I  ** _demand_ ** you make me a dark side too!"

Thomas held up his hands in defense, "I-I don't..."

"It doesn't work like that, Princey." Virgil chuckled.

Logan laughed. "It sure doesn't. Not even Virge, Deceit or Remus can morph completely." He flicked his eyebrows up. "I'm one of a kind."

"You're  _ Toothless _ !" Patton breathed in awe. "That's so  _ cool _ !"

"Pretty nifty." Virgil added.

Logan forced back a smirk. "I have a perfectly functioning tail, mind you."

" _ Fully functional and anatomically correct, _ " Virgil murmured, humming a few bars of Voltaire. Logan shot him a glare, and he stopped.

"S'not  _ fair _ ." Roman whined under his breath.

"How old are you, Princey?" Logan asked. "Whoever told you that life is fair? You know it's not. Yeah, I have this gift. But would you like to be the one carrying around two world's weights of aspects and having to keep a strong handle on both to make sure that Thomas doesn't devolve into a horrible, dysfunctional mess?"

"Geeze, lighten up a little, dude?" Virgil said. "Roman's just jealous because dragons used to be his thing. No need to freak out on him."

"Yeah... and besides, that whole...  _ 'horrible, dysfunctional mess' _ thing... " Thomas bit his lip, obviously worried, "That's not  _ likely _ to happen... is it?"

"Of course not!" Patton assured him. "No more than  _ usual _ ! We know from when Virgil tried to duck out that any  _ one _ of us losing control could cause you to devolve into a horrible, dysfunctional mess!"

Thomas whined unhappily. Virgil face-palmed, "Not helping, Pat."

"Yeah, Pat, you could have said that a little less cheerfully." Logan said, then frowned at Thomas. "Apologies for the worry. It was merely a statement to prove my point. At no point in my entire life will I ever allow that to happen to you, I give you my word, Thomas."

Thomas smiled, “Thank you, Logan, but I’m not gonna hold you to that. Nobody can tell the future, and I don’t want you to stress so hard about being perfect that you run yourself ragged or break under the pressure. Please let us know if it gets to be too much, especially while you’re still getting used to this new aspect, and we’ll work it out together. Okay?”

Logan nodded. "I certainly will, Thomas. Now," he flicked his hand and suddenly the five were back inside. They jolted, shocked, then turned around to see Logan pick up his mug of coffee. "What else needs to be addressed?"

Virgil shook his head, shrugging. "I don't think that we need to address anything else. Thanks for all your help, Lo!"

Logan blinked, then took a sip of his coffee. "Alright, then. I am going to head back to my room to catch up on my Philosophy readings. I wasn't exactly able to concentrate recently, and I must say that I miss reading them." He smirked at Thomas. "I will see you later."

With that, he sank down, leaving the others to contemplate all the new things that they were learning about this Neutral Logan.


	7. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus makes his own fun, but a misunderstanding leads to Logan nearly dying. Wracked with guilt, Remus makes a decision. Deceit does damage control.

Remus puttered around his room for about an hour or two, doing his own version of “tidying up”. He stripped the bed, carefully folding the blood-stained sheets into a special keepsake box in his closet before remaking the bed with fresh linens. He cleaned and sterilized the knife he’d shared with Logan, putting it back into his nightstand - he’d considered leaving the knife bloody and framing it above his bed as a memento, but decided he’d rather have the option of using the knife  _ repeatedly _ than risk it being a one-time occasion.

He spent a little time collecting any dishes that were growing their own subcultures, along with any other obvious health concerns - he didn’t mind it himself, but now that it looked like Logan would be a frequent visitor to his room, he wanted to minimise the health risks. When he was done “cleaning” there was still quite a bit of trash spread around his room, but the overall result was a  _ slightly _ less-soiled mess, so Remus was pleased.

He checked the clock - several hours had passed since Logan had gone to meet with Patton, and nobody had called for his presence or come by to bother him. Probably a good sign. Remus felt a little lonesome but quickly shut that feeling down - he was fine! He didn’t need any company! If the other sides didn’t want to hang out with  _ him _ , he was fine hanging out without  _ them _ ! He had  _ plenty _ of experience at making his own fun, after all.

Too jittery to do quiet activities like watching a movie or “creating” something new in the imagination, Remus defaulted to his old favorite method of killing time: “killing” more of the creatures that lurked in the subconscious. Grabbing his trusty morningstar, he headed out the back door of his room and down a dimly-lit, steeply curving stairway. 

Remus was extremely familiar with the Subconscious - most of his earliest memories involved exploring their depths. Time didn’t work right in the deepest parts of Thomas’s mind, and Remus still had no idea how many minutes or centuries he’d spent that very first night wandering around and screaming in the dark before Deceit had found him, shown him how to escape the subconscious, and how to find the dark sides’ rooms. These days the darkness greeted him like an old friend, and Remus loved sifting through the detritus that had been cast aside from the other Sides before winding up in the sewers and trash heaps of the subconscious.

The subconscious was not without its dangers, however. Creatures lurked in the shadows, nightmare beasts and unchecked fears. Roman was often careless with his creations, and many of the creatures he made and forgot about found their way to the subconscious, breeding with the monsters there to create new beasts full of nasty, big, pointy teeth and claws. Remus had faced countless horrors in the darkness and had learned that  _ nothing _ down here could be judged by its appearance - he’s almost lost an arm once to a “cute” and “innocent”-looking rabbit that had possessed razor-sharp fangs and a thirst for blood.

But today, when he reached his usual hunting grounds, he heard the cry of something new. A roar unlike anything he knew… or that he  _ thought _ he knew. After hearing it again, he smirked, his eyebrows turning down.

"Ah, Roman, let one of your pets out to play again, didn't you?" He muttered. Roman was constantly making Dragon Witches and letting them loose in the Mindscape, a lot of the time setting them after Remus. But he had done away with hundreds of them. What was one more? He knew his morningstar couldn't hurt them, so he manifested a sword and a mace, hands tightening on the grips. Slowly venturing further, he eyed the overcast sky until a darker shadow streaked across in almost a fraction of a second. He heard the roar again, and he flipped his sword around in his hand. "Come out, come out, wherever you are..." He muttered in a sing-song voice.

The shadow swooped lower and Remus planted his feet, watching his target. "Gotcha." He drew back his arm and threw his sword, watching it fly through the air, then a loud screech brought a triumphant laugh from him. "HA HA!! I got you!!" He heard a thud on the ground far off, and he ran to retrieve his sword and admire his win. A smile was on his face as he pushed back branches to reach a small clearing, full of weeds and knee-high grass. He raised his eyebrow, looking around as his smile faded. He saw no body of the dragon anywhere, but he knew that this had to be where it had landed. He slowly started across the clearing, then the smell of blood hit his nose. Fresh and pure. But...it didn't smell like Dragon blood…

He continued, using his mace to push some thick areas of grass out of the way, then up ahead he saw a flattened down area, as if something had landed. He kept on his course towards it, then he raised his eyebrow when he saw the shape that lay motionless on the ground. It wasn't like any creature he'd ever fought... it looked like...a man? He lifted his mace onto his shoulder, walking forward with a curious face. "What the hell..." He muttered. As he got closer, he could see that it was indeed a man, with all black clothing and spiked hair and sharp...glasses…

Remus' breath hitched in his throat as he saw the moonlight glint off of the small star charms cuffed to the man's left ear. "Logan..." The mace fell from his hand and he sprinted to the fallen man's side, lifting him up in his arms. "LOGAN!" Remus' eyes widened further than he thought they could when his gaze fell on the large wound that slashed across his chest, blood soaking his dark clothes. The same crimson liquid ran from Logan's mouth and down the side of his head from another cut. His breath was faint, eyes closed, head hanging limply over Remus' arm.

Remus shook his own head slowly, barely able to breathe. "No...no, no, no..." He murmured, then he rose to his feet immediately with Logan in his arms, flashing back to the Dark Side common area. Laying Logan on the couch gently, he brushed his hair, tears running down his face. He had done this... why had Logan been in the Mindscape Subconscious in the first place, and how in the hell had he been a  _ Dragon _ ?! But none of that mattered. All that mattered was making sure that Logan stayed alive. Remus started to call for someone, then froze in fear as he realized that if he told the truth about what actually happened, he'd  _ never _ be spoken to or looked upon again. They would make sure he never saw Logan once, and his life would be back to the miserable mess it was, attempting suicide again and again. So he thought of the only lie plausible and then screamed for the others. "VIRGIL!! ROMAN!! PATTON!!! DEE!!!  _ HELP!!! _ "

Virgil was the first to appear, Remus’s panic already bleeding through the mindspace and warning the Anxious side that something was  _ wrong _ . His eyes widened, taking in Logan’s bloody and limp form, and he rushed over to check for a pulse. Roman appeared shortly after, sword brandished and looking for something to fight.

“What’s wro-” the sword vanished as Roman stumbled over next to Virgil. “Is he-?”

“He’s alive,” Virgil said, “But just barely. Go keep an eye on Thomas - if anything is going to send him into a horrible, dysfunctional breakdown, it’d be this.”

“You can count on me,” Roman said, sinking out.

A creak of a door opening and Deceit was stumbling out of his room dressed in a robe, his nightly facemask already on. “What’s the emergency?” he yawned, somewhat used to Remus randomly screaming when he got too bored, but he stopped as he saw Logan bleeding out on their couch. “Get the others,” he told Virgil, who nodded and vanished. Deceit's outfit morphed back to his typical daily attire, then he manifested some bandages and pressed them to the gash across Logan’s chest. Using short commands to avoid being misunderstood, Deceit said, “Apply pressure,” to Remus, who quickly obeyed. Deceit then checked Logan for other obvious wounds, finding a cut inside his mouth where his teeth had sliced the inside of his cheek, and another cut on his head that was quickly swelling into a tender knot.

“What happened?” he demanded, knowing that they had only moments before Virgil would return with the others. “Tell me, Remus,  _ now _ .”

Remus bit his lip, not wanting to tell the lie to his best friend but feeling that he had no choice. "I found him in the Subconscious. He must have been attacked by a monster." He said, his voice cracking. Technically, Remus thought bitterly, it wasn’t a lie at all. Only a monster wouldn’t recognize their lover in  _ any _ form. Who else but a  _ monster  _ would attack another side so viciously?

Deceit’s eyes narrowed, but if Remus was lying, it was a fib close enough to the truth that he couldn’t detect it. He knew that Remus spent an exorbitant amount of time in the subconscious, so it was  _ plausible _ that he could be telling the truth. Deceit decided not to press him - as long as Remus wasn’t  _ outright _ deceiving him, he would let it slide in favor of more pressing matters. Manifesting a pair of scissors, Deceit began to cut away at Logan’s shirt so they could better access the wound on his chest. Lifting the bloody fabric away, Deceit noticed less-fresh cuts spanning across the width of Logan’s chest, forming an intricate pattern. “Your work, I presume?”

“He-- I--” Remus stuttered.

Deceit shook his head, “Doesn’t matter.” He took over from Remus, applying pressure on the bandages. “Kitchen bowl. Warm water,” he said, and Remus leaped up, sprinting to the kitchen to fetch the required items.

Gathering the items Deceit asked of him quickly, Remus was on his way back to the couch from the kitchen when he heard another frantic voice.

"Oh my goodness, WHAT HAPPENED?! LO!!!"

Remus flinched at Patton's screech, running back in. He knelt next to Deceit, handing him the bowl then turning to face Patton.

"It...it's going to be okay, Pat. We're gonna help him. I'm not going to let anything happen to him."

Virgil knelt next to Deceit and manifested a washcloth, using the warm water to wash away the blood. Deceit was still holding the bandage down tight, but he’d manifested a few extra hands so he could balance the bowl of warm water while also keeping a finger on Logan’s pulse.

“He was supposed to be reading! In his room!!!” Patton exclaimed, waving his hands wildly as he freaked out. “What happened??”

“I… I found him in the Subconscious,” Remus explained again, sticking to the lie he’d told Deceit. “There’s a lot of monsters down there… he must have been attacked.”

“What was he  _ doing _ down there?” Patton gaped at him in astonishment, “Did you see what attacked him?”

“No,” Remus shifted guiltily, “It was too dark to get a good look.” He took Logan's hand in his own, closing his eyes as he felt the very faint pulse running through his paling skin. "C' mon, Lo...just hang on..." He begged, then under his breath he muttered, "I'm so sorry...I didn't know it was you..."

Virgil suddenly jerked, his head shooting up to meet Patton’s gaze. “Thomas is calling - it must be more than Roman can handle. Pat, can you-” he was going to ask Patton to go comfort Thomas while he helped Dee, but a worried Patton would probably just make Thomas worse. Instead, he handed the washcloth to Patton, “-take over for me here, while I go see what Thomas needs?”

Patton nodded and began cleaning Logan’s wound as Virgil sunk out. Remus bit his lip, counting the seconds until-

“Wha-what are  _ these _ ?” Patton stroked the washcloth gently over the cuts forming the chemical formula. He looked up at Remus, who couldn’t meet his eyes.

“ ** _Not important._ ** ” Deceit said firmly. Patton stared at him for a moment, about to object, and then thought better of it. “Can’t you…  _ not _ … heal him?” Deceit forced out, the double negative tripping up his tongue.

Patton hesitated, wide-eyed, “I… the last time I tried, it  _ hurt _ him!”

“He is…  _ not _ … gravely injured already,” Deceit grimaced. “Worth… a try…”

Patton frowned, biting his lip, then he nodded. His hands hovered over Logan for a moment, then he slowly placed it on Logan's chest, hoping it would work. "Please..." He whispered, then Logan jolted, moaning in pain, his breath becoming short and ragged. Patton drew back quickly, eyes wide and ready with tears. "I...I don't understand!! Why can't I heal him?!" He cried.

Deceit didn’t bother trying to comfort Patton, there was no time. “Remus!” he snapped, and the side’s head jerked up. “Try.”

“But,” Remus said, looking between Logan to Patton and back to Deceit, “I can’t- it’s not- healing  _ isn’t _ one of my powers! I can’t even heal myself!”

“ ** _TRY._ ** ” Deceit growled again, his voice reverberating.

Remus gulped, nodding. He copied what Patton had done, placed his hands gently on Logan’s chest, and closed his eyes. He tried to focus on anything good he possibly could. Unicorn porn. Gay rainbows. Sex. With Logan. But that last thought just brought him more visions of knives and all thoughts of any type of healing left his head completely and were immediately replaced with blood. And as much as he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about them. After all, there was no way to force intrusive thoughts out of his head. He knew that better than anyone.

He took his hands away after his head started to hurt, dropping it forward with a sigh. "I can't..." He said quietly. "I'm sorry..." His voice was broken, and Deceit could tell that Remus was hiding something. He  _ had _ told a lie. He didn't know where, but he knew that something was off about the Duke.

“Get Thomas.” Deceit hissed, before focusing back on Logan. He was out of ideas, but maybe the host could do something. If they lost Logic… the consequences didn’t bear thinking about.

Quickly sinking out, Remus rose up in the Real World, where Thomas was huddled on his couch, shaking and hugging his knees while Roman rubbed circles into his back. Virgil was perched next to him, trying to talk him through breathing exercises, but it didn’t appear to be helping.

Roman looked up at Remus’s entrance, hope fading as he took in the expression on Remus’s face. “Damn.” he muttered, causing Thomas to look up.

“Wha-?” Thomas noticed Remus, noticed the tears marring his eyeshadow, and the blood staining his sash and turning his shirt an even darker black. “You’re all bloody.” he mumbled.

Remus glanced at Virgil, who sighed, “Logic… isn’t working right now. Obviously.”

Thomas' eyes went wide. "What...what do you mean? What happened to him?"

“Logan got hurt. Really bad.” Remus said, avoiding the details. “We… we can’t heal him. Dee’s hoping that  _ you _ can.”

“I...I don’t know  _ how _ ,” Thomas fretted, wringing his hands. “Roman… Virge… I don’t… What do I  _ do? _ ”

Roman stood up, holding out a hand to pull Thomas to his feet. “You come with us, back into the mindspace. Patton will show you what to do, and together we  _ will _ save Logan.”

Thomas nodded shakily, biting his lip. "O-okay..." He took a deep breath as Virgil and Roman sunk out with him.

Remus stayed topside for a minute, praying to whatever he could that he hadn't messed everything up. That Logan wouldn't die...well, it wasn't really possible for him to die...At least, he didn't think. He then began to worry. 'Maybe...since Lo is completely different than us...he  _ can _ die?' He thought painfully. What would happen to Thomas without Logan? It's impossible to live without Logic...you need it to breathe and to think! He couldn't die!! He  _ couldn't _ !

Remus clenched his fists, ready to tear himself apart, just like he had told Roman that he would if he ever hurt Logan. But if he did, and Logan survived, then he'd be leaving Logan alone and he'd never get to see him smile again, because the others would know it was Remus' fault. Either way, Remus felt like his whole world was collapsing around him. He knew that getting close to someone was dangerous. He knew that he should have called it off. But he was happier than he had ever even dreamed of being when he was with Logan…

Happy. What an abstract concept. Did Remus believe that he'd ever feel happy again? That everything would be fine? Hardly. What was the point of hoping if you just get let down? He'd had too much pain in his life already, and now he had caused the ultimate mistake... he had attacked his love. Remus felt the tears begin to roll down his cheeks, sniffing as he tried to wipe them away. But they wouldn't go away. He knew they wouldn't. Why should they?

Pain. Pain was good. Guilt. It was Just. Rage. He hated himself. Sorrow. He was losing everything. Gone. He opened his eyes finally, not even realizing that he had sunk to his knees. Gone... 

"They'd be better off without me... They were all  _ so happy _ before I showed up again..." Remus muttered. He wanted to leave. He wanted to make sure that they never had to deal with him again. He'd go to the Subconscious and  _ stay there _ .  ** _Alone_ ** . Just like he should be. So he couldn't hurt anyone else.

But...something kept telling him he had to stay. And he knew what that something was. Logan. He had to make sure that the others didn't lose Logan. Then, as soon as he knew he was okay,  _ then _ he would leave. He knew it would shatter his heart into a million pieces, and he knew that it would possibly break Logan's heart too, but it was for the best... Logan would mend. He was the type of person who was strong enough to come back from something like that. Remus wasn't. He hadn't been strong enough ever since he and Roman split. Something inside him had broken that day, and it never put itself back together. And he knew that keeping his broken self locked away from the others to keep them safe was the best thing he could do. It was the  ** _only_ ** thing he could do.

Nodding to himself, Remus wiped the tears away with his sleeve. He had a plan now, and he knew what he had to do. Sinking out, he reappeared in the Dark sides’ common area.

“Where have you been?” Patton grabbed Remus’s sleeve, dragging him forward. “Thomas is going to try to heal Lo, and we all have to help him if this is gonna work.”

Thomas was kneeling next to the couch, eyes closed, with his hands on Logan’s chest. The other sides formed a semi-circle around him, each with one hand laid on Thomas’s back, providing him strength and energy. Remus and Patton completed the semi-circle, and together they connected to Thomas.

The circuit complete, Thomas gasped, his head thrown back as the power of all the sides coursed through him and into Logan. Light filled the room as Thomas began to glow, casting rainbows that danced and sparkled across every surface. The light flowed from Thomas’s hands into Logan, and the logical side shuddered.

Everyone held their breath.

Slowly, like watching a timelapse of a sunrise, the wounds began to heal. Blood seeped back under the skin, and all the wounds knit back together before their eyes. Remus felt a pang of loss as the chemical formula he’d so carefully etched into Logan’s chest vanished, leaving unblemished skin behind.

Logan jolted, the last of his wounds healing, gasping as his eyes shot open.

Patton's eyes widened. "LO!!" He threw himself down with a bear hug, shocking the intellectual, who caught Thomas' eye. 

"What...what just happened?" He asked, his words slightly slurred but still understandable. He blinked hard, clearing his throat, a signal for Patton to get off. Morality let go and sat back with a sheepish smile. 

"Sorry."

Thomas laid his hand on Logan's shoulder. "You were gravely wounded, and we all worked together to help heal you.”

“Remus said that he found you in the Subconscious, that you must have been attacked by a monster." Patton explained, and Logan put a hand to his head.

"Yeah...I had gone there so I could just fly around, y'know? Night Fury, always night time there, and it's really freeing. But then I was hit by something, fell out of the sky, and that's the last thing I remember." He shrugged. "It must have been one of the Dragon Witches or something that Roman keeps forgetting he makes that then go dark."

Roman crossed his arms. "HEY!" 

"It wasn't a Dragon Witch."

Everyone turned to see Remus staring down at the floor, rubbing his arm. "It wasn't a monster, either." He scoffed. "Well, that could be debated." He said, sounding like he was holding back tears.

Roman raised his eyebrow. "Re, what do you mean?" He asked. Logan sat up behind him and eyed his boyfriend with concern.

"Remus? Are you okay?" He asked, standing up and taking a step forward before Remus held his hand up. 

"No, Logan. Don't come any closer." He said, Logan freezing with wide eyes. 

"What?" He saw a tear run down Remus' cheek, then the Duke finally raised his head to look at everyone, facing their curious stares. 

"It...it was  _ my _ fault..." He said shakily, the eyes of everyone suddenly widening. He wrapped his arms around himself. "I went to the subconscious to go monster hunting like I usually do, and I thought I heard one of Roman's Dragon Witches. It was really dark, and all I saw was the shadow, but still I threw my sword, and... I heard the dragon fall." His breath became short as Logan stared at him with the largest eyes. "When I got closer to where I thought it had landed, I didn't see anything at first... then I saw someone lying in the clearing, and as I got closer... I saw it was Lo. The  _ second _ that I saw the wound I knew that it had been  _ me _ who did this." Tears streaked down his cheeks, and he took a step back. "Y-You're all safer without me." He choked out.

Logan shook his head. "Remus, please. Don't say that. I forgive you. With all my heart. If anything,  _ I'm _ at fault. I hadn’t had a chance to tell you I could morph, so you had no way of knowing the Dragon was me, nor could you have expected me to be out in the Subconscious in the first place. So please. Don't do this to yourself."

Remus clenched his fists. "Don't you get it, Logan?! I could have  _ killed _ you!!" He screeched, tears pouring now. He shook his head. "You're in danger anytime you're near me! I'm  _ not _ a good person. I'm  ** _not_ ** !! I told you the first time we ever talked civilly and when we first started dating that you can't fix a shattered mirror without getting cut.  _ This is my fault!! _ I'm  ** _worthless_ ** !!! What purpose do I even serve?! I'm never needed, and when I do show up,  _ no one _ wants to see me. Why would they?!" He laughed sadly, shaking his head. "I don't blame you all for hating me. I mean, what  _ am _ I but  ** _filth_ ** ?!" 

He looked at his brother, who held the expression of someone who was being stabbed through the chest. "You're the good brother, Ro. You're the real hero, and you're the one everyone deserves. You're  _ better _ than me. You always have been. You make them happy, and I'm glad for that. I'm glad that you have people who care about you."

Logan started towards Remus. "What do you mean?!  ** _I_ ** care about you, Remus!!!  _ I  _ ** _LOVE_ ** _ YOU, for Newton's sake!! _ " His lip was quivering, although barely noticeable. The others could hear the tears in his voice. "I  _ love _ you..." He choked out.

Remus nodded, meeting Logan's eyes, getting lost in the deep ocean they held just like every single time he stared into them. "I know. I love you too. And that's why I won't let you get hurt again because of me." He closed his eyes with a shaky breath. "Goodbye."

Logan's eyes shot open. "NO, REMUS,  _ WAIT _ !" He shouted, but Remus disappeared before his eyes, and the room was dead silent as Logan stood, his hand outstretched to where Remus hand been standing, frozen in pain. His chest tightened as his shoulders started to shake with silent sobs.

"Remus..."

Logan began to sink out, trying to follow Remus even though he didn’t have a clue where his (ex? No, don’t think about that) boyfriend was headed, but Virgil grabbed him around the waist and hauled him back up, muttering, “Dude, you can’t-”

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT I  ** _CAN’T_ ** DO RIGHT NOW!” Logan screamed, shoving Virgil away to land in a sprawl on the couch.

Virgil leapt forward again, grabbing Logan by the wrist and holding on firmly, “You almost  _ DIED _ , Lo!” he shouted back, “I’m  **NOT** going to lose you again, not after we  _ just _ got you back!”

Logan glared at him and Virgil glared right back, the others in the room too frightened to say anything lest they make the situation worse.

“At least stop and  _ think _ ,” Virgil said at last, “ _ Use _ that big brain of yours. Remus has probably gone back to the subconscious, and you aren’t going to fix  _ anything _ by blindly running after him. I doubt you even  _ could _ find him if he wanted to stay hidden - nobody knows that part of the mind like Remus.”

“That’s true,” Roman admitted. When the others looked at him curiously, he elaborated, “Re and I used to play hide and seek, once upon a time. He always knew the best places to hide.”

“This is all  _ very _ fascinating,” Deceit drawled, “But if the crisis is over, I’m  _ not _ going to go back to bed.”

“Dee!” Patton yelped, scandalized, “The crisis isn’t  _ over _ ! We have to figure out how to get Remus back!”

“Or,” Deceit shrugged nonchalantly, “You could  _ not _ respect his decision. Remus  _ isn’t _ a grown man and he certainly  _ can’t _ make his own choices.”

“They’re _ not  _ his own choices if they’re hurting Thomas.” Virgil snapped.

“Does Thomas look  _ hurt _ to you?” Deceit said, and all the sides turned to look at Thomas, who patted his chest self-consciously.

“I… I don’t feel hurt?” Thomas admitted. “At least… I feel a  _ lot _ better than I did a few minutes ago when Logan was…” he trailed off.

“See?” Deceit said, “Remus is  _ definitely _ a primary function, and Thomas is  _ obviously _ affected by his departure. Unless something else is wrong, please  _ do _ disturb me again.” He waved off their protests, going back into his room and shutting the door firmly behind him. Letting the careless facade fall, Deceit quickly crossed the room and exited out his own back door, taking a shortcut around the edge of the subconscious and hoping he wasn’t too late.

~*~

Remus was in his room, shoving clothes and weapons into a duffle bag. He knew from past experience that the longer he stayed in the subconscious for any given length of time, the weaker his powers would become, and after a few days he’d usually lose the ability to conjure more than a bit of food and water to keep himself going. A few days after that...

He worked fast, afraid that one of the others would follow him and wanting to get as big of a headstart as he could. He pulled drawers out of chests, dumping the contents into his bag before tossing the drawer aside and moving on to the next. What little he’d managed to tidy up that morning was long undone, his room now looking like a tornado was passing through it.

Remus pulled the drawer of knives out of the nightstand and was about to dump them in, too, when his gaze caught on  _ the _ knife. The knife Logan had used to cut him, the same knife Logan had let him return the favor with. He touched the blade, drawing a small pinprick of blood from his finger, and gasped as the tears threatened to overwhelm him again. Gently setting the knife back down on the top of the nightstand, he dumped the rest of the blades into his bag, and closed the zipper. He wasn’t worthy enough to keep any mementos, and soon it wouldn’t matter anyways - he’d wander the subconscious until he was too weak to fend off the nightmares, and then he’d be killed and probably reabsorbed into the ether from which he’d been created. Any belongings he left behind would either be re-absorbed into Thomas’s mind or re-assigned to another side. Tossing the strap of the duffle bag over one shoulder, he headed out the back door of his room and made it down the steps before a voice in the darkness stopped him in his tracks.

“Leaving so soon?” Deceit hissed from the shadows.

Remus jumped, spinning around with wide eyes to stare at the snake-faced man. 

"D-Deceit...." He gritted his teeth. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!! NO ONE NEEDS ME! I'M  **USELESS ** AND ALL I EVER DO IS HURT PEOPLE!!" He pursed his lips, holding back tears. "I'm doing everyone a favor." He turned and started to walk away again.

Deceit shook his head, dropping his lies that he had never needed with his friend anyway. "Are you _that_ desperate to kill yourself, Remus? Your _boyfriend _is about ready to jump ship, too, because you just **broke his** **goddamn heart**!!" Deceit yelled, stopping Remus in his tracks. 

He had never, _ ever _ , heard Deceit yell. And that tone was absolutely terrifying. Whenever Deceit was  _ really _ serious about something, he would cut all his lies. And he just had.

Remus rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand, sniffing. "He...he's better off without me, Dee. I told him that when he first told me he loved me. I told him that I was just too dangerous and something was bound to happen. I wanted to just accept that we had feelings for each other and move on. I never expected to actually stay with him. I never....I never thought that he'd  _ actually _ love me."

Remus blinked back more tears. "Dee, I'm giving up all that I've ever wanted and all that I've ever had to keep them safe. Now, they may think that I'm a Dark Side, but that doesn't mean jack shit. I care about the lot of them, especially Logan and my brother. So, just let me be! Let me fade away and never bother anyone ever again." He turned his head away. "Please."

“Make me a deal,” Deceit demanded. Remus paused, not turning back, but not walking away either. “One week. There’s a… bomb shelter, for lack of a better term, in my room. No one else knows about it. Stay there, for one week, and if you still feel like killing yourself, I’ll let you run off on your fool’s errand.” Now Deceit was lying through his teeth - he would do  _ whatever _ was necessary to stop Remus - if he had to, he’d knock Remus out and lock him in the bomb shelter for  _ years _ without his permission, but it was easier for everyone involved if Remus submitted willingly. “I won’t stop you. But give me this. For old time’s sake.  _ You owe me that much. _ ”

Remus sighed, and Deceit knew he’d already won, “...one week?”

“Yessssss.”

“And then you’ll let me go?”

“Of  _ course _ .”

“...fine.”

Deceit led the way back to his room, making sure Remus followed close behind and didn’t run off. Entering his room, he checked to make sure none of the other sides had come in while he was gone, and then set to work. Remus watched askance as Deceit walked over to what looked like a window made with a stained yellow glass mosaic. Dee pressed several shards of glass in what appeared to be a random order, and a panel on the wall slid away to reveal a large button. Dee pressed the button, and what had been a normal section of the floor mostly hidden by a rug lifted up at an angle, revealing a set of stairs. “After you,” Deceit gestured to the stairs.

Remus wasn’t sure why he felt more nervous descending into Deceit’s “panic room” than he did heading towards oblivion in the subconscious, but he swallowed down the uneasy feeling and headed down the stairs. His movements triggered lights to come on, and the stairs opened up into a wide underground area set up like a studio apartment, filled with enough food and entertainment to keep him busy for months. Books lined the walls, movies and games were stacked next to the TV, and since he was still in the mindscape, Remus could always manifest toys and games to keep himself busy. “Try not to wreck the place,” Dee said, knowing it was a futile request.

“No promises.” Remus said, flopping onto the couch and burying his face into the cushions.

Deceit turned to go, “The door will lock behind me, and it is programmed to open for  _ me _ alone. Text me if you need anything.” Remus waved him off, and Deceit left him to it. Once he was back in his room, he made sure that the trapdoor in the floor was fully concealed again, with no sign that anything was amiss.

Finally allowing himself to sprawl face-up on his bed, Deceit let himself relax for what felt like the first time in hours. Logan was healed and safe for the moment, and Remus was tucked away for his own good. He had a week to work on changing Remus’s mind, as well as keeping Logan from killing himself as he scoured the subconscious for Remus. The next seven days were going to be hell, but at least he had time to try to  _ fix _ things. Rolling over on his side and cuddling his favorite snake plushie, Deceit let himself drift off to sleep.


	8. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus might have gone, but Logan refuses to be left behind. Logan and Roman plan, plot, and prepare to go in search of Remus. The subconscious is dark and full of terrors...

Logan stood still as he dropped his hand to his side, his shoulders shaking. Everyone was silent as they heard the quiet sobs coming from him, and Patton slowly walked forward.

"Lo?" He said quietly, placing his hand on his shoulder, but Logan spun around instantly, shoving Patton's hand away.

_ "Don't touch me!" _ He yelled, glaring at the others, who stepped back with fear upon seeing the red specks in his eyes that were slowly spreading to cover the blue. Patton stared at his best friend with sorrow. Logan clenched his fists. " _ Don't you  _ ** _get it_ ** _ ?! _ I just lost  **everything!!** Remus meant  **everything** to me, and because of my own mistake, I fucked everything up and now he's gone!!  _ GONE _ ." His breath was hard, blinking back tears. Looking up as wiped his nose quickly, he took a deep breath. "You'll never know what that feels like."

Virgil shook his head. "Logan, we understand how painful this is-"

"No, you don't." Logan stopped him, scoffing. "You don't really understand. You just say that to make me feel better. People  _ always _ say that they 'understand'. But are you in my shoes? NO. Did you just lose the man who you treasured more than anything? No-"

"YES, Logan."

The others turned to stare at Roman, surprised at the Prince's weakened face, the tears running down his cheeks. Logan cocked his head. 

"What?"

Roman looked at him with pain. "Logan, he's my  _ brother _ ! I care about him, too!! Hell, I'd even go so far as to say I love him! He's my  _ family _ , Logan!! I'm going through just as much pain as you are! So when  ** _I_ ** say that I understand, for the love of Shakespeare I  _ mean _ it!!" He shouted, his voice cracking as he held back a sob.

Logan was quiet for a moment, then his eyes that were almost fully red faded to his natural blue as he took a long breath, then he nodded. "Well, then. Let's do something about it."

Thomas stared at Logan. "What do you mean? We can't go after him! You heard Roman, no one knows the Subconscious better than Remus-"

"But Roman knows it almost as well, and I can cover a lot of ground. Roman and I will go out and look for him. If you need us, call us right back and we'll be here. But I...I have to find him." He finally let the tears roll down his cheeks that he had been trying to hold in. "I can't bear to lose him..."

“At least-,” Virgil said, hesitantly, “-wait until morning? You need to rest-” he held up a hand, stopping Logan’s protest, “-and even if you refuse, think of Thomas. He  _ just _ had a mental breakdown, and he  ** _needs_ ** to recover before you start putting him through more mental strain.”

Thomas hugged himself dejectedly, “I’m sorry, Logan. I really want to find Remus too, I just-”

“No,” Logan sighed, “You’re right. Self-care is important, and we’ve both been through a lot today.” He looked at Roman, “Do you… do you think Remus will be okay that long?”

“Yeah,” admitted Roman. “He once spent a week in there for fun, I think he’ll be fine overnight. And we could use the time to create a plan of attack.”

“Maybe he’ll come back on his own?” said Patton. “Once he has a chance to cool down?”

“ _ Maybe _ , padre.” Roman shrugged, but his tone didn’t sound hopeful. “Re can be pretty stubborn.”

“He’s met his match,” Logan said, jaw set in determination.

Thomas yawed, and clapped a hand over his mouth in embarrassment. “Oh my goodness, I’m sorry guys!”

“And with that,” Virgil said, “It’s time for Thomas to wake up so he can get some real sleep.” He wrapped an arm around Thomas’s shoulders and they both sank out.

“I’ll come with!” Patton said, voice fading away as he sunk out with them, “I can tuck you in, or make you some hot cocoa…”

Roman glanced around the darkside’s common room, “Maybe we should take this back to my room? I think I might still have some maps I made when we were kids. They might be outdated though...”

“Every little bit helps.” Logan said, “Lead the way.”

~

Back in his own room, Roman sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m not sure where to begin, Lo.”

“We start at the beginning.” Logan said, manifesting a pen and a stack of flashcards to jot down notes. “What kind of threats can we expect to find in the subconscious?” 

Roman groaned, falling back against the wall with a hard breath. "God, where do I begin?" He muttered. "Well, you have the obvious Dragon Witches that I let loose in there, you have the Nightmare Fuel-"

Logan held up his hand. "Wait, wait. 'Nightmare Fuel'? What's that?"

Roman sighed. "Well, it's exactly what it sounds like. Anything that would cause Thomas to have a nightmare. After a while it built itself up into its own creature, and trust me, you do  _ not _ want to tussle with that thing. Remus and I took it on when we were kids, and boy, was it a mistake. I can only imagine what it’s like  _ now _ . So let's try to steer clear of that."

Logan nodded, quickly scribbling down notes. Roman frowned. "Hmm...well, there are the shadow demons.”

Logan's head snapped up. " _ Shadow Demons?! _ What the hell? Why are those in the Subconscious?" He exclaimed, but Roman only shrugged. 

"Thomas is scared of them, that's why he keeps his closet door shut at night. He also keeps it shut in case-"

"In case the Demogorgen gets him, yes, I am aware.  _ Please _ tell me that there is no Demogorgon in the Subconscious so we don't have to deal with any more Stranger Things than we need to." Logan muttered. 

Roman smirked. "You made a joke. That's adorable. But anyway, no Demogorgon." He bit his lip. "There are the Creepers, though."

Logan was writing on his notecard but stopped, raising an eyebrow. "'Creepers'? What are they?"

Roman scrunched up his face. "Nothing good. They're a kind of vine monster, and if they get ahold of you, they drag you off and tear you apart. Remus saved me from them on more than one account, and I did the same for him. They are  _ nasty _ . They prey on the other creatures, Logan. Even the Dragons. They're  _ that _ dangerous."

Pursing his lips, Logan relaxed back against Roman's bed. "Wonderful. It looks like we have our hands full, then." Leaning forward, Logan met Roman's eyes. "So. Where's the best place to start?"

Roman opened a closet, pulled out a large pirate chest, and began rummaging inside it. With a cry of triumph, he pulled out several scrolls, unrolling the parchment to show childishly-drawn maps. “Don’t judge. I was eleven.” Roman muttered.

“I wasn’t going to say a word,” Logan assured him.

Spreading out the maps, Roman pointed to various landmarks, “Assuming the layout hasn’t drastically changed, here’s where Remus’s room enters the subconscious, and here-” he pointed to another section of the map, “-is where Remus used to prefer to hide when we played. We should search together in case we run into trouble - I suggest we start between those two points and spread outward. We can divide the map up into a grid and mark off each section as we go.”

There were hundreds of X’s drawn over the map, clumping in different areas. “Known monster nests?” Logan guessed.

“Yup.” Roman said, popping the ‘p’. “Out of date, like the rest of the map, but I’m sure the population has only grown as time passed.”

Logan pointed out other symbols on the map, “And these?”

“Mystery spots.” Roman explained, “Places where time speeds up or slows down, or where portals can spit you out in other random spots of the subconscious.”

“Where the laws of physics go out the window,” Logan rubbed his forehead unhappily.

“Mmhmm.” Roman said, looking over the maps. “Y’know… it might’ve been a blessing in disguise that Remus almost killed you.”

Logan blinked. “Why do you say that?”

“Because, nerdbreath, you are  _ scarily _ uninformed about what goes on down there. Flying around alone painted a big target on your back, and if any other creature had attacked you instead of Remus, you probably wouldn’t have lived to tell the tale. The rest of us wouldn’t have known anything was wrong until Thomas had his mental breakdown, and by then it would’ve been too late.”

Logan dropped his head into his hands, groaning. "Now that you put it in perspective, it seems that Logic has lost all logic." He muttered, then he let out a loud huff and sat back. "Okay. So. What kind of weapons do we have in case of a fight?" He asked, and Roman raised his eyebrow.

"I never really pictured you as one to use a weapon, Lo. You always struck me as one of those  _ ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ _ kinda guys." He said, but Logan shook his head. 

"Trust me, I'm good with a knife. And if you can recall, I have quite the punch." He smirked. "If you also factor my Dragon morph into the equation, I'd say I have quite a lot to offer."

Something sparked in Roman's eyes, "So, what I hear you saying is.." he said, barely controlling his glee, "You really  _ can _ shoot fire like Toothless?"

Logan shrugged with a smirk. "I haven't directly tried it, but I'm well aware that I can. I can feel it when I morph." His smile dampened a bit. "But you didn't answer my question, Roman. What other weapons do we have? You were right. When I went flying around down there carelessly, I might as well have been wearing a neon sign. I can't change into a Night Fury unless our lives depend on it. I won't risk our safety. So it's going to be hand-to-hand combat. What do you have for me?"

Forcing himself not to bounce in excitement, Roman rushed to another closet and threw the door open. “Sorry, sorry, you’re right, not the time.” He grabbed a large rack and began hauling it into the main room - the rack kept coming and coming, appearing to be much larger than should have been able to fit inside the closet. “For your consideration, may I present my  _ personal _ armory,” Roman said with a flourish. Across the shelves and hooks of the rack hung various pieces of body armor and weapons. There was a large selection of swords and shields (some of them looking well-worn and battle-damaged), along with a wide variety of daggers and axes. There were spears and throwing knives, along with crossbows and bulging leather bags. 

“What’s in those?” Logan asked, pointing at them.

Roman grinned, opening one of the bags and carefully pulling out a handful of dangerous-looking metal spikes. “Caltrops,” Roman preened. “Remus’s idea; he liked playing jacks with them.” He poured the twisted nails back into the bag and closed it, hanging it back on the rack. “Anything else you want, I can probably create it before we go, but we should pack whatever we need. The subconscious tends to drain our powers, and if we spend too long in there I won’t be able to manifest anything anymore.”

Logan nodded. "Alright then. We should pack our things tonight so we can leave early in the morning. I'll be well set with a sword and a dagger, Roman. Nothing else. I feel it will weigh me down. Besides, I'm quick. Fighting with a shield slows you down some. Is that alright with you?"

“Sounds like a plan,” Roman said, letting Logan select the weapons that caught his eye. Pulling his favorite shield off the rack (it was shaped like his logo and had many dents and scratches from battles long past), he set it against one wall, alongside his faithful katana. He added a bag of caltrops for himself, along with a spare dagger for emergencies.

Logan met Roman's eyes. "I'll be right back." He sunk out, Roman watching him go. Moments later he popped back up, and Roman raised his eyebrow at his changed outfit.

His black shirt and tie had been replaced with a different black shirt, one that seemed to be more casual while also being practical for what they were about to do. His jeans were the same black, but his black Vans had turned to a pair of short black rugged boots. Over it all, Logan wore a long black coat, the collar high and the buttons undone. 

Roman stared at him with wide eyes, blinking a few times as Logan pulled off his coat and folded it over his arm, now showing that the t-shirt was ripped in some places, almost like Virgil's purple shirt he always wore, but it also had a few interesting straps on it, where it almost seemed like something could be attached, but possibly also just for design.

Logan lifted his eyebrow. "Are you okay, Roman? You seem a bit frozen." He asked casually, and finally Roman found the words to speak.

"Holy shit, I can totally see why my brother likes you..." He muttered, eyeing Logan up and down.

Logan's eyebrow cocked. "What?"

Roman's eyes went wide, his face flushing. "WHAT? Nothing! You just...you look so different-"

Logan stared at Roman with a scrunched up expression. "I heard what you said, Roman, and while I am flattered, there are more pressing matters."

Roman let out a hard breath. "HEY, it's not my fault that you're super sexy now that you're all bad boy and stuff!!" He said, immediately clamping his hand over his mouth as Logan stared at him with wide eyes, then a smirk grew on the Neutral's face. 

"Again, thank you for the flattery, but honestly, only Remus is allowed to have this," he gestured to himself with an eyebrow flick. 

Roman chuckled. "Boy, have you changed. No more stick up your butt, I see, and now you're making jokes, you're way more sassy, and you're super cool and badass! I  _ like _ this new you, Lo! It fits you." Roman said, then he snapped his fingers with a realization. Walking over to his weapons rack, he glanced over his shoulder. "I know you said that you didn't want a shield, but your outfit just totally reminded me of this awesome shield I stole from Remus  _ years _ ago. It's retractable, so you can just clip it to your belt when you don't need it." 

He took something off the rack, then turned around to face Logan with a smile, holding a small black metal shield with intricate designs etched with green. Logan smirked, walking forward and gently taking it from Roman's hand, then he saw a button on the inside, and as soon as he pressed it, the shield collapsed into a small strip that Logan easily locked onto his belt. He glanced up at Roman. 

"Thanks."

Roman nodded, then checked his watch. "Well, we should head to bed. We want to get started early, so we need rest."

Logan nodded, then plopped down on the small couch that Roman had in his room, his feet hanging over the arm. Roman raised his eyebrow. 

"What are you doing?"

Logan shrugged, laying his arm across his eyes. "Eh, if we're going to be leaving right from here, what's the point of going all the way back to my room when all my stuff is already here? I'll just crash in your room, Ro. No worries, I don't snore." He said with a yawn, and Roman eyed his friend with a bit of caution, then it went away as Logan's breath slowed, and Roman knew that the Neutral Side was asleep. He kicked off his boots and collapsed onto his own bed, flicking off the light and sighing as he closed his eyes, ready to embark tomorrow morning to search for his brother.


	9. Into The Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan and Roman traverse into the Subconscious. Many dangers await them. A horrible encounter unearths something in Logan.

Roman awoke to Patton frantically shaking him awake, “Ro? Ro! Logan’s gone! I went to his room to check on him this morning, and he wasn’t there!”

“Hmm? Wha?” Roman blinked groggily. He looked across the room to his couch, where Logan was beginning to stir. “He’s... there,” said Roman, gesturing vaguely in the right direction.

Patton followed the gesture, “Oh! Logan! There you are! I got so worried when I couldn’t find you, and I was afraid you’d already gone into the subconscious alone! I thought I was too late.” He noticed Roman’s pile of weapons against the wall and set a wrapped bundle down next to them. “I figured you guys might be headed into the subconscious today, so I got up early and packed some food for you. There are some snacks for Remus too, if…  ** _when_ ** … you find him.”

Roman smiled. "Thanks, Pat. You're the best." He said, then he glanced over at Logan with a sigh. "We have to find Remus, Pat. I don't know what it'll do to Logan if we don't." He then shrugged. "But we're ready for what the Subconscious has to offer."

Patton nodded, then glanced over at Logan, who was still asleep. He raised his eyebrow. "Is he wearing  _ boots _ ? And a ripped t-shirt? What happened to our spiffy Logic?" Patton asked, and Roman stretched with a groan. 

"He's not just Logic anymore, Patton. He's also Anger. But more than that, he's hurt and he's determined. And as Neutral side, he’s a complete badass now."

Patton sighed. "Yeah, I know. I just hope you guys'll be okay." He said worriedly, but Roman's hand on his shoulder calmed him.

"I'll watch out for him, Pat. Now, I should wake him up so we can get going. Say goodbye to Virge and Dee for us, please?"

Patton nodded. "Of course. Good luck."

He left Roman's room, the Prince then standing up and walking over to the couch, crouching next to Logan. "Hey, Lo. Time to get up."

Logan groaned. "Nghh, Re, I don't wanna get up...." he murmured, bringing a small snicker from Roman.

"I'm not Remus, now wake up," Roman said as he pulled Logan off the couch, the intellectual's eyes shooting open as he hit the floor. He glared up at Roman, then he sighed at Roman's smile.

"Okay, I'm awake. Let's get going."

Arming themselves to face the unknown, Roman lead the way from his room, taking a shortcut through the Imagination and into the Subconscious. Logan shivered as the temperature dropped and the world turned dim. The sky grew overcast and the wind picked up, making his coat flap dramatically.

“I am  _ so _ in awe of you right now,” Roman admitted, finding it more difficult than he’d predicted to keep his eyes peeled for danger and off of his brother’s suddenly-hot boyfriend. At Logan’s eyebrow raise, Roman hastily said, “ _ Platonic _ awe, obviously.”

Logan hummed but let it drop. He held a notebook that he’d copied Roman’s childhood maps into, and he made little marks and notations as they walked, confirming their position and updating the chart with any similarities and differences he could pick out from the landscape.

They passed a large lake, the murky water concealing what lay beneath and bubbling ominously in places. “Remus loved this spot.” Roman grinned, waving a hand at the lake. “There’s a Kraken or something that he would feed and talk to. I only saw it a couple of times, but it was  _ big _ .”

Logan shivered, grimacing at the rippling water. It wasn’t that long ago that the question of what was really at the bottom of the ocean had been his biggest fear, and he didn’t want to imagine what kind of ghoulish creatures might make this lake their home.

Entering a forested area, Roman paused as a threatening hiss came out of the darkness. “I  ** _may_ ** have forgotten about the ROUSes,” said Roman, holding his sword and shield at the ready as he scanned the trees.

“Rodents of Unusual Size?” Logan said, tucking the notebook into his shirt and brandishing his sword and dagger. “I don’t think they exist.” he quipped.

Logan was suddenly barreled to the ground by a blur, his sword knocked from his hand. His eyes were wide as he forced back the gnashing teeth of the giant rodent that pinned him down. He turned his head to see Roman fighting off two more, then he felt a pair of teeth sink into his arm. He shouted in pain, grabbing his dagger and plunging it into the ROUS's neck, but not before it slashed a good size gash in his side. Logan pushed the whining body off of him, standing up shakily and grabbing his sword, then he placed his foot on top of the rodent's body and thrust his sword down angrily, then again, a hard breath escaping through his gritted teeth. His narrowed eyes lessened as he stepped back, raising his gaze to a wide-eyed Roman. He shrugged wearily. 

"Guess they  _ do _ exist." He stumbled slightly, barely righting himself as he planted his sword in the ground.

Roman reached out to steady Logan, “You gonna be okay?” Only his experience with fighting the beasts before had allowed him to escape the tousle unscathed, and he was worried about Logan’s wounds.

“Fine,” Logan gritted his teeth and concentrated. The wound in his side healed from an open gash to a thinner, angry scratch - instead of taking the time and energy to heal it completely, Logan decided to save his strength and push onwards.

Roman gave him one more chance to back out, “It’s only gonna get worse from here on out.”

“We  _ need _ to find Remus.” Logan said, then quietly continued, “ ** _I_ ** need to find Remus.” Roman nodded, and they trudged deeper into the forest.

As they passed various landmarks, Roman told stories about Remus and their childhood exploits together. Some trees still carried the scars of Remus’s morningstar, while other stumps served as testament to Roman’s swords and axes. Occasionally they would find knives and ninja stars embedded in trees and rocks, rusted over with time.

Logan glanced to the side at Roman. "So, when was the last time you two were here fighting monsters together? I mean, it seems like something you both really enjoyed, and it also seems like something you're both good at." He flipped his dagger around in his hand as he walked, spinning it to keep his ever-restless body from twitching. "So, why did you stop?"

“It got harder, as Thomas grew up, to find time to come down here.” Regret filled Roman’s voice as he continued scouting out the land ahead for danger. “The last time we were here together… must’ve been around the early days of Vine. Once Thomas’s videos got popular, he needed me more often to keep creating new content, and I couldn’t seem to find time to get away. A couple of times I tried to  _ make _ time, y’ know, to schedule a vacation, but other things kept coming up and I’d have to cancel, and after a while, I stopped trying. What little free time I managed to get was spent in the Imagination creating new dreams for Thomas, and I got so busy I didn’t notice Remus slipping away.”

Logan and Roman were both quiet for a moment, then Logan turned his head. "He still loves you, you know."

Roman's eyes went wide. "Wait, really?" He said with surprise. 

Logan nodded. "Of course. You're his brother. He'd do anything for you. That's why he left. He didn't want to hurt either one of us." He said, his voice cracking a little. He then shook his head. "But we'll find him. I know we will." He said with determination.

Roman nodded, then something far off caught Logan's attention. He heard a slight whisper, and his eyes widened when he heard the voice of his lover. He sprinted off, not even alerting Roman that he had left. Running through the trees as he grew closer to the sound, he whipped his head every which way. 

"Remus!!" He called out. "REMUS!!" His voice was frantic, pained, then a crack behind him made him turn. His eyes went wide with fear, then everything went black.

~

Roman didn’t notice when Logan ran off. He  _ did _ , however, notice several seconds later when he heard heavy footsteps running up behind him. Whirling around, Roman’s eyes widened as he took in the sight of Deceit racing full-speed towards him. He raised his sword in defense, unsure if this was really Deceit or some monster in disguise preparing to attack him.

He was leaning towards “Real Deceit” when the side in question didn’t slow down, sprinting past him with a disgruntled “Please ~ _ don’t _ ~ keep up” tossed over his shoulder.

Roman blinked, shook his head, and took off after Deceit, hot on his heels. It was at this moment he realized they were chasing a black-clad figure with a significant head start. “I didn’t notice him start running,” Roman said, panting as he hefted his sword and shield. Logan had been right - the shield wasn’t really built for speed.

“Obviously,” Dee shot back. Up ahead, the figure was calling out for Remus.

Roman considered leaving his shield behind, but he had a feeling he was going to need it. “Been following us long?”

“Long enough.” Deceit said, “Is Logan  _ trying _ to get himself killed?”

Roman grunted, “I  _ told _ him that we should stick together.”

“ **FUCK** ,” Deceit stopped in his tracks. He thrust out an arm to stop Roman, who almost didn’t stop in time and nearly got clotheslined. “What is  ** _that_ ** ?”

Up ahead, a creature formed out of the darkness, black smoke condensing into a shape at least ten stories tall. The monster was some horrifying mutant of Godzilla with a scorpion tail and spider legs thrown in for funsies. It was times like these when Roman would have deeply preferred facing down a simple manticore-chimera. “It’s the Nightmare Fuel,” Roman muttered because of  _ course, _ Logan would run headlong into one of the worst terrors of the subconscious. The day had been going so  _ well _ after all. “I don’t remember it being that big though, or having that many limbs.”

Deceit shot a terrified look at Roman, who stared grimly back. Roman was just cupping his hands around his mouth to call out a warning when the beast attacked Logan, swiping at him with a massive claw that caused Logan to go flying limply to the ground. He didn’t get back up.

Roman began running again, Deceit fast behind, but it was too late. The fiend picked up Logan and was bounding away faster than the sides could run. Between one blink of the eye and the next, it was gone.

Roman froze, horrified. Deceit was cursing, shaking his head.

"Dammit, dammit DAMMIT!" He growled, then he spun to face Roman, so flustered that his lies disappeared. "Okay. We desperately need to find him. What do you think is going to happen to Logic if he's caged by the Nightmare Fuel?  _ Nothing good _ . So let's move, and try not to get killed, Roman. I wouldn't exactly enjoy explaining that to Patton." His voice was stern and Roman nodded quickly. He'd never forgive himself if Logan was lost. So he followed Deceit further into the Subconscious in search of the Neutral side.

~

Logan groaned, shifting as he opened his eyes, flinching at the immense pain his entire body was in. He could feel blood running down the side of his head and he glanced around, eyebrow rising at the darkened cavern he appeared to be in. Spinning around, he found he was up against a wall, cold stone like the floor. He let out a hard breath as he put a hand to it.

"Damn..." He muttered.

"Logan!" Thomas’s voice echoed in small space.

Logan bolted to his feet and spun around, drawing his sword instinctively, then his eyes widened when he saw Thomas and the others rush into the cave. He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Newton, it’s good to see you all."

“Logan!” Patton cried, throwing his arms around the nerdy side. “I was SO AFRAID that we’d lost you! Roman called us as soon as you went missing, and we searched and searched…”

Virgil patted Logan on the shoulder, “I’m just glad we found you, dude. You’re looking a little worse for wear.”

Logan wiped some of the blood away from his face with his sleeve, leaning against Patton gratefully. “I admit, the subconscious has proven to be more hazardous than I anticipated.” He looked at Roman, “I heard Remus’s voice - did you find him?”

Roman shook his head sadly, “No, it wasn’t _ really _ his voice - just a trap of the Nightmare Fuel to lure you in.”

“Nightmare Fuel?” Logan gaped, “I thought you said we didn’t want to tussle with that?”

Roman laughed, “Not exactly something we could _ avoid  _ when you were making a bee-line towards it. We’re just lucky it took you to its cave and wandered off, otherwise, this rescue would be a  _ lot _ bloodier.”

“Speaking of,” Virgil said, an anxious tone entering his voice, “We should really get  _ out _ of here before that thing comes  ** _back_ ** .”

“Eep, yes!” Thomas said, ducking under Logan’s arm to help support his weight. Between Thomas and Patton, they helped Logan out of the subconscious, with Roman taking the lead and Virgil watching their backs. They managed to get back to the Light Side’s common room without running into any more monsters, and Logan breathed a sigh of relief as he was lowered onto the couch.

“Well, I’m glad that’s over,” Thomas said, stretching his arms over his head.

Logan didn’t want to admit it, but he was glad to be safely back home as well. “Roman and I covered a lot of ground today, before the unfortunate incident. Now that I have a better idea of what to expect, we should be able to do even better tomorrow.” He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on healing his wounds, but the power didn’t come. Logan sighed - this must be part of what Roman had meant about spending too much time in the subconscious draining your powers. He’d rest and finish healing in the morning when his energy had been restored.

“Oof, Tomorrow?” Roman said, screwing up his face in contemplation, “No can do, pocket protector.”

Logan looked up, startled by Roman’s dismissal, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, Thomas has videos I need to work on. We can’t let down our fans  ** _or_ ** risk Thomas’s career just ‘cause Remus is throwing a temper tantrum.” Roman held up his hands in a “what can you do” shrug.

Blinking in confusion, Logan said, “I’d say that this is more serious than a  _ ‘temper tantrum’ _ .  ** _Surely_ ** the fans will understand if there is a delay - they’ve always been supportive of Thomas taking the time for his mental health in the past.”

“Yeaaaah,” Virgil said, “But, we don’t wanna take advantage of that, y’ know? Fame is fickle, and Thomas has already had several breakdowns in the last few days. We should probably put the whole “Remus” thing on hold.”

Logan couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “We-we can’t put  _ ‘the whole Remus thing’ _ on hold! What are you talking about?” he searched the others’ faces, and realized with a sinking sensation how unconcerned they all looked. “We’ve got to get back out there! Remus is in danger every  _ second _ he’s gone, and it’s only a matter of time before he is destroyed!”

Patton nodded slowly, “You’re right, Logan.”

“Thank you!” Finally, some sense. Logan felt the tension drain from his shoulders. He’d just misunderstood, that’s all. He was never good at reading emotions, that was always Patton’s thing...

“It’s only a matter of time until Remus is destroyed,” Patton said, his voice oddly cheerful. “So, we should probably get used to the idea as quickly as possible!”

Logan stared at him in shock.

“Hey!” Roman suddenly said, “Do you think I’ll be even  _ stronger _ once Remus finally dies? I mean, if he’s no longer controlling part of Creativity, that power’s gotta be redirected back to me, right?”

Virgil nodded, “Yeah, makes sense. And it’ll make my job easier now that he’s no longer around to make dangerous suggestions, so I’ll probably get a power boost, too. Really, his leaving was for the best all-around.”

“I don’t think-” Logan started.

“No.” Thomas said firmly, cutting him off, “You  ** _don’t_ ** think. That’s your problem, Logan - ever since this “relationship” started with Remus, you  ** _haven’t_ ** been thinking. I can’t trust your judgment anymore.” Thomas chuckled, and the sound made Logan’s blood run cold. “I should have known you were never going to find Remus. You were always the most useless side.”

Logan felt his mouth open and close several times, speechless.

“I’ll give you this,” Thomas continued, “You were  _ right _ about my Logic needing a few changes. I've talked it over with Patton,” he held out a hand, and Patton snuggled into Thomas’s side, beaming up into his face, “and we both think Morality should take over my logical thinking now.”

Words. Logan couldn’t find the words. This was wrong,  _ this was  _ ** _wrong_ ** , but Logan was frozen, watching as the other sides stood next to Thomas, offering the host their full support. “But-but what about Anger?”

“I’ll take over that.” Virgil smiled, and there were more teeth on display than Logan remembered seeing before. “Flight or fight is kinda my  _ thing _ , after all. So really,  ** _I_ ** should have taken over Thomas’s anger in the first place.” he clapped Logan on the shoulder, nearly knocking him off the couch, “Don’t look so down in the dumps, Lo! I hear oblivion’s  _ nice _ this time of year!”

“See?” Thomas said, grinning. “I don't need  ** _you_ ** anymore, the others have got this! You always held me back anyway.”

“Held you back?” Logan said weakly.

Roman nodded, "If not for you pushing Thomas towards a  _ useless _ chemical engineering degree, he would be further in his acting career by now. He could be a movie star! A household name! It's  ** _your_ ** fault that he's still a struggling YouTuber when he could be  _ so much  _ ** _more_ ** _ . _ "

“Et tu, Brutus?” Logan said, feeling more betrayed than ever. He’d been bonding with Roman over Remus’s disappearance, and he’d thought they’d built some respect over the last few days. It didn’t compute, Logan didn’t understand what had changed, why they were all acting like this, and fear was making his cognitive gears grind to a halt. 

Roman’s eyes sparkled, “Hey, that’s a good idea! And a fitting end for you, if I do say so myself.” He waved his hand, and a collection of swords and knives appeared in each of the others’ hands. “I think 23 times is traditional - what do you guys think?” The others nodded in approval, admiring their weapons, and terror washed through Logan.

“Stop this. We can talk this out-” Suddenly a flash of steel stopped him and he jerked back, crying out and holding his bleeding arm gingerly, snapping his head up to see Thomas's eyes turn down, the sword he held now tinted red. “Please! Stop!” Logan yelped, shrinking away from them. "Guys, it's ME! LOGAN! We can still work through this!" 

Patton chuckled, then seconds later he was directly in front of Logan. "Oh, Lo. You're so naive." He said casually, causing Logan's eyes to go wide, then he choked as Patton thrust a knife deep into his side. Patton roughly jerked the knife back out, and Logan grasped his side tightly with gritted teeth. His breath grew hard, watching as the others all drew their swords and advanced on him. He shook his head, scrambling off the couch and away from them, but there was nowhere to run.

"No...no..." His voice was barely a whisper as tears came to his eyes, his true worst fear revealing itself; his friends and family turning on him. He was still wearing his own sword, his hand squeezing the grip tight, but as much as he knew he needed to defend himself, he couldn't bring himself to strike back. He refused to hurt the others.

So he took hit after hit, either with blades or fists or boots. Soon he lay gasping against the wall, shuddering in pain, covered in blood, his mouth filled with the metallic taste he so desperately was trying to ignore, his built-up emotions starting to manifest. The others disappeared, then a familiar voice called his name. 

"LOGAN!!" Logan's eyes darted to the side from holding his knees to his chest to lay eyes on Roman followed by one clear Deceit. He frowned. The room had gotten cold, as cold as the cave had been, but that was probably the bloodloss setting in...

"Come back to hurt me again?" He spat, shaking his head. "Stop hurting me..." He murmured through the blood dripping from his mouth.

Roman's eyes went wide, glancing at Deceit who held the same reaction. The Deceitful side took one step forward.

"Logan, please do  _ not _ listen to us." He started, but Logan shook his head again, his blood-stained hands clenching around the dirtied cloth of his pants.

"Stop hurting me!!" Logan shouted, his voice starting to echo a bit. Deceit took a step back with wide eyes. 

"Uh oh."

Roman's eyes went wide. "Uh oh? What do you  _ mean _ , uh oh?!" He cried, then he started forward, reaching his hand out. "Logan...it's okay. It's me..." Roman said, but as soon as his hand touched Logan's shoulder, the other side jerked.

"I SAID STOP  _ HURTING ME _ !!!!" He screeched, the cave rumbling and the entire Mindscape shaking. Logan's eyes had washed over with red, and Deceit shook his head.

"This is  _ not _ very,  ** _very_ ** bad indeed." He said in concern, and Roman glanced at him. 

"What's happening?!"

Deceit bit his lip, keeping eye contact with Logan. "He's turned into Fury."

Roman's eyes went wide, then he shook his head. "No...no, Logan can't-" His words failed him as he saw the absolute hate in his friend's eyes.

Roman and Deceit took a step back from Logan in fear, the Dark Side glaring at them. Logan scoffed.

"What, are you two afraid of me?" His eyes narrowed further. "You  _ should _ be. You should be  ** _very_ ** scared." He said as a devious smirk twitched the corners of his mouth up. A black sword suddenly materialized in his hand, gleaming in the darkened cavern. Logan's eyes were completely red, and when he grinned his mouth was full of sharp glinting teeth. 

Deceit took Roman's hand and started to drag him back. "Roman, we need to  ** _stay_ ** .  ** _NOW_ ** ."

Roman nodded quickly, sprinting towards the mouth of the cave, hearing the echoing footsteps behind them. Deceit pulled Roman along, dashing out of the dark hollow, quickly scanning the area around for the dreaded creature that had gotten them into this mess, then they  _ ran _ . 

Deceit felt a twinge of regret pulling Roman away from Logan and leaving the prior Logic alone in an environment where he could easily be swallowed up, like he already had. 

But Deceit knew  _ exactly _ how dangerous Fury could be. He knew better than any of the Sides. He had absolutely  _ dreaded _ the day that Fury would be released and although he was glad that it was Logan who got saddled with him, he had known that the intellectual side wouldn't be able to hold it back forever.

Roman continued to glance back over his shoulder, eyes wide as he watched Logan hot on their heels. He snapped his head around to Deceit.

"What the hell do we  **DO** ?! He's trying to kill us, so is everything else out here, and we still have no idea where the hell my brother is!!!  _ WHAT DO WE DO, DEE? _ !" He screeched, and Deceit bit his lip, hesitant about telling Roman that his brother was safe as could be back in Dee's room, but he couldn't.

Deceit shook his head, too flustered to fib. "I have no idea. We just have to try to find someplace we can pause and think. How close is he?" Deceit asked, and Roman glanced over his shoulder, then his eyes went wide and he stopped running. Deceit stopped, staring at him with wide eyes. "Roman, what are you doing?!"

Roman shook his head. "He's gone. He was  _ just _ right behind us." He stated, bringing confusion from Deceit. The snake-face looked back, and sure enough, no Logan. The two met eyes, then turned around to see Logan leaning against a tree, poking the tip of his sword with his finger, staring directly at them with burning eyes, the area around them black, almost like Virgil's eyeshadow but all the way around his eyes, and not nearly as vibrant. 

Logan grinned, the blood in his mouth tainting his teeth red. "A valiant effort, trying to run." He turned his gaze directly to Deceit. "Dee, you should know by now that you can't hide from me. You can't run. So why not just face me?" He shrugged. "Sure, you'll die, but why not get the tragedy over with?" He said with a small chuckle. "Make my job a whole hell of a lot easier."

Backing away, Deceit grabbed Roman’s arm, “Dragon witches! _As _**_many_**_ as you can make!_ **_NOW!_**”

Roman cast out his hands and a three dozen dragons burst into life around them, flapping wings in a riot of colors, screaming and breathing fire and swarming around Logan. Logan screamed furiously, his demonic screech ripping through the air.

The roar echoed far and wide. In the mindscape, Patton and Virgil looked at each other, frozen in terror. Inside Deceit’s panic room, the howl caused Remus to race to the door, desperate to find his lover. Unable to escape, Remus turned feral, ripping apart everything he could put his hands on and attacking the door with every weapon he could manifest, to no avail. In real life, Thomas began to break down once again, clutching his head and rocking back and forth.

Back in the subconscious, Logan was viciously attacking and slaughtering the dragons one by one, but Deceit didn’t stick around to watch the carnage. Yanking Roman behind a small outcropping of rock, Deceit used his own powers to shapeshift their appearance, blending the two sides into just another stone in the wasteland. They huddled together, too scared to move or breathe as the sounds of wings and fire and screams died down.

Finally, there was silence. Roman, exhausted and drained from using so much of his Creative energy at once, resisted the urge to glance over the rock to see what happened. What if the dragons had been too much for Logan? What if, right now, their friend was lying a few feet away, dead and fried to a crisp? He would  _ never _ forgive himself for killing Logan.

Deceit kept a tight grip on Roman’s arm, using all his energy towards the subterfuge. There was no point in holding anything back,  _ this was it _ , this was a matter of life or death. If his powers of misdirection failed them now, Logan would kill them and that would be it.

A throaty chuckle filled the air. “Nice distraction,” Logan purred, and they heard footsteps slowly circle the area. “While the cat’s busy, the mice ran for the hills. But don’t think you can get away from me that easily.” Logan walked past the rock, and Deceit’s heart stopped… but the illusion held and Logan continued past, not noticing the enchantment.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are…” Logan sing-sang, walking a little further away. Neither Deceit nor Roman dared move a muscle.

After a few more minutes of circling the area, Logan seemed to give up, “Bored now. You wanna hide like rats, I’ll let the subconscious get rid of you like the vermin you are. It’s about time I had a little sit down with Thomas anyways. Let him know how things are going to work from here on out.”

Logan stalked away, but Deceit continued to keep still, squeezing Roman’s arm to do the same. If Logan was headed for Thomas, they  ** _should_ ** warn Patton and Virgil. But it was equally likely that Logan was setting a trap, pretending to leave with the intention of flushing out Roman and Deceit, only to destroy them as soon as they came out of hiding. Praying that he was making the right choice, Deceit continued to hide, holding up the illusion and waiting to make  ** _sure_ ** Logan had left.

What seemed like an eternity later of absolute silence, Deceit finally released Roman's arm and he fell back against the rock, breathing hard but quietly, his head reeling. Roman leaned against his shoulder, drained. The Prince glanced at Deceit after a moment.

"Dee, what do we do?! We have to warn the others!! Logan is going to  _ kill _ them!!" He hissed, and Deceit grit his teeth.

"I'm well aware of what is at stake, Roman, but we have to think this through. Logan could just be trying to put us back on the chopping block, and as soon as we go out there he'll cut us down."

Roman clenched his fists. "We have to risk it. Logan is far away, we both saw him walking, and we need to get to the others." He sighed. "Dammit, I wish I knew where my brother was. We could sure use his help, I bet he could find  _ some way _ to get to Logan..." He muttered.

Deceit bit his lip, hesitating, then he sighed. "Remus is  _ not _ safe, trust me. He...I  _ don't _ know where he is." he said reluctantly. Roman's eyes grew wide. 

"You know where he is?!"

Deceit nodded. "He is  _ not _ ...*ahem*...locked in a secret bunker that is tied to my room." He coughed, and Roman froze. 

"Wait, so Remus was safe in your room this whole time that Lo and I were looking for him?! We didn't have to come out here  _ at all _ ?!" He cried, hopefully not too loudly. Deceit flinched.

"You two  _ didn’t _ leave before I could tell you! I was  _ not _ going to try to stop you!!" He then shook his head, standing up and offering Roman his hand. "We  _ mustn’t _ try to warn the others before Logan gets to them. Come on. We’re too weak to flash back, so we have to try to get there as fast as we can."

Roman grasped Deceit's hand and was lifted to his feet, glancing over towards where the fight had ensued and flinched at the horrendous bloody mess that met his eyes. 

Merciless, vicious, and sickeningly cruel. Logan had slaughtered every single monster with  _ ease _ , and he hadn't batted an eye.

Roman closed his eyes, his grip tightening on his sword, then he turned to Deceit. "Alright. Let's go." He determined, and Deceit twitched his head. 

"This way."

They began to run through the dense and dark area, praying that they would reach the others before Logan did, and also that Logan wouldn't seize an opportunity to pounce on them like the prey they had become.


	10. Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Fury in control, Logan becomes a tremendous threat to all of the Sides. Roman and Deceit try to remedy the situation.

“What was  ** _that_ ** ?” Patton whispered once the scream had faded away.

Virgil clutched his hoodie tighter around himself, “Best guess? Something bad.”

“It… it sounded like Logan? But…  _ wrong _ .” Now Patton was beginning to shake. For Logan to release a scream like that… had they found Remus? Were they too late?

Virgil drew his hood up over his head, gently rocking back and forth, and then blinked, symptoms clicking in his head. “Thomas is having a meltdown. I don’t know what happened to Logan, but it’s _ bad _ . I gotta go.”

Patton almost begged Virgil not to leave him, but he dug his fingernails into his clenched fists. “Go, take care of Thomas. I’ll wait here for the others to come back.”

Virgil nodded, sinking out. Patton began to gather supplies - some food and water, bandages, several first-aid kits, and other accouterments and sat down to wait.

He didn’t have to wait long.

Patton jumped as a door creaked open. Chiding himself for being on edge, he jumped again when the door slammed closed. “Hello?” he called out, wincing at the quiver in his voice.

Heavy footsteps approached the common room, and Patton gaped as the figure stepped into view. “Well, well, well…” Logan’s voice rang out, as sharp and dangerous as the sword he carried. Patton’s stomach twisted at the blood that ran down Logan's chin along with that which coated the blade, dripping onto the carpet. “What have we here? Holding down the fort all alone, Patton?”

“I-” Patton gulped, afraid. Every instinct was telling him to run, to hide, to  _ get away _ from Logan… but something was  ** _wrong_ ** , that was as obvious as the red glow from Logan’s eyes as well as the dark shadows that surrounded them, and Patton  _ had _ to help if he could. “Virgil’s with Thomas… I thought Roman was with you?”

Logan tsked, casually wiping some of the blood off his blade. A horrible thought crossed Patton’s mind, “Did… did you  _ kill _ Roman?”

“Not for lack of trying,” Logan muttered, and Patton felt his heart start beating again, pounding to make up for the lost time.

“But- why?” the words were out before Patton could stop them, “ _ Why _ were you trying to kill Roman?”

“Because, you simple, stupid excuse for a side,” snapped Logan as he wiped the blood from his mouth, “He betrayed me. You’ve  _ all _ -” he hefted the sword up, aiming it at Patton, “-betrayed me.”

“If-if this is about Remus,” Patton said hastily, “I’m  _ sorry _ , Lo. We’re gonna do everything we can to-”

“NO!” Logan said, thrusting the sword forward. Patton froze, the tip of the sword hovering inches away from his throat. “No, this is about  _ me _ , and how you’re planning to  _ replace _ me.” Logan smiled, and the sheer hatred in his face made Patton start crying.

“I-I’d never!” Patton hiccupped, tears rolling down his face.

“You  ** _will_ ** never,” Logan confirmed, “Because your pitiful “Morality” could  _ never _ take the place of Logical Thinking, nor could your precious “Heart” ever truly encompass the might of my Righteous Fury. In fact...” Patton felt the blade press against his skin, and he whimpered, “I  _ should _ end you right now. Thomas has no need for morality when I can handle ethical situations logically, and then  _ you’ll _ see what it’s like having your powers ripped away and assigned to another side.”

Tears cascaded down Patton's cheeks as he felt his heart shattering. "Wh-What are you talking about, Lo?! What do you  _ mean _ , 'ripping powers away'?" He asked with fright.

Logan scoffed. "As if you didn't know. Now," he pressed the blade closer, bringing a drop of blood from Patton's throat. The Moral side flinched, his breath stopping as he watched Logan's devilish glare. "Why don't you call Virgil and Dear Thomas up here so we can all have a teensy weensie  _ chat _ ."

His tone nearly gave Patton a heart attack, but he nodded slowly. "O-Okay..." He sighed shakily, then cupped his hands around his mouth. "Virge!! Thomas! Calling Virge and Thomas back! Could you pop up here for a minute?" He shouted, then met eyes with Logan, trying so hard to look past the dark glare that was burning through him.

Logan grinned, Patton drawing back at the sharp fangs that filled his mouth. "Well done, Pat. I appreciate your cooperation, I'd hate to have to  _ dispose _ of you."

Logan lowered the sword, and Patton felt his knees give out - he sat down hard, perched at the edge of the chair. The paternal side was shaking like a leaf, but despite his fear, he would  _ not _ leave Thomas alone to face this on his own. Whatever happened in the next few minutes, Patton would defend his kiddos with his life.

Virgil and Thomas rose up into the common room, Thomas hunched over and Virgil soothingly rubbing his back, “Still not a good time, Pat. Find out anythi- **SHIT!** ” Virgil stepped between Logan and Thomas, shielding Thomas with his body. “What the  _ hell _ happened?”

Logan ignored Virgil. “Hello, Thomas.” his voice dripped with false sweetness. “It’s been a long,  _ long _ time. It’s good to see you again.”

Virgil and Patton exchanged confused glances. Thomas whimpered, cowering into the corner of the couch, deep in the nonverbal stage of his breakdown. “You saw him yesterday, Lo?” Virgil started but trailed off at the scowl Logan shot him.

“ ** _Logic_ ** saw him yesterday.” Logan sneered. “I’m Fury, and it’s been  _ ages _ since I’ve been properly in control.” His voice shifted as he returned his attention to Thomas, again taking on a tone of fake lightness, “You’ve changed a lot since you were a little child. Bet you thought you’d destroyed me forever back then. It took a long, long time to build myself back up, but my plans finally fell into place, and now  _ here I am _ . You could never escape me, Thomas, not forever.”

Virgil narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists. "Where's Roman?" He demanded, and although his tone was strong, he felt like he would crumple at any moment. He took a deep breath. "Did you kill him?" He asked shakily.

Logan chuckled, glancing off into space. "Who knows? I mean, I  _ tried _ , but Deceit being the coward that he is hid them both, so I suspect they're still in the Subconscious. They'll be lucky if they get back alive, but if they do, they'll be too late." He spoke with a hint of glee, then he sighed.

"Who knew that being in the Subconscious and being trapped by the Nightmare Fuel would be all it took to bring me out." A smile twitched his lips up. "Would you like to know what Logic's greatest fear is?"

Patton grew an expression of concern. "Wait, Logic's fear is what let you out?" He asked, but Logan shook his head.

"No, you simpleton," he snarled, causing Patton to draw back with wide eyes. "It was his  _ reaction _ that brought me out." He snickered. "He's afraid of you all turning on him. That he'd be replaced, banished, scorned. So when he was faced with a nightmare of you all betraying him and basically killing him," the others exchanged wide-eyed glances. "He couldn't take it. When the real Roman and Deceit showed up, he snapped. I was finally  _ free! _ " He took a deep breath, then turned his gaze to Patton, an expression of disgust on his face.

"God, you're  _ crying _ ?" He snorted as more tears dripped from Patton's chin. "You always  _ were _ the weak one. I should just do away with you. No need for a useless side, anyway." He lifted his sword again, leveling it with Patton's throat, a blood-thirsty smirk crossing his face. "Say hello to Logic for me."

“Why don’t you say hello to me yourself?”

Everyone in the room turned, and a new-slash-old figure stepped out of the shadows. Gone was Logan 3.0, with the black tie and the earrings, gone also was Logan 2.0 with the logo and the striped tie. This was the original, Logan 1.0, with a plain blue tie and stylish pair of Warby Parkers.

Logan 1.0 fearlessly stepped up to Fury. “I’ll go first. Greetings and salutations, Fury. Is there a problem here?”

~

Roman and Deceit made it to the back door of Dee’s room, nearly falling inside and bracing the door shut behind them. “Where is he?” Deceit panted, trying to catch his breath.

Roman closed his eyes, concentrating. “Light side’s common room. Pat and Virgil, and shit, Thomas is there too.”

Deceit swore under his breath, too stressed to lie, and headed for the stained-glass window. “At least they’re still alive, but knowing Fury, that could change at any moment.” He pressed the code in, and the panel slid away, revealing the button to release the door to the safe room. “As soon as I’m gone, press this to release your brother. Fill him in on the situation - I have a feeling we’re going to need his help. If there’s a shred of Logan still inside Fury, Remus is probably the  _ only _ side he  ** _won’t_ ** kill on sight.”

“Wait, what are  _ you _ going to be doing?” Roman asked.

Deceit ran a hand down the front of his body, his clothes shifting into a familiar old costume. Moments later, Logan 1.0 smoothed down his tie. “I’m going to distract him.”

~

Logan 1.0 fearlessly stepped up to Fury. “I’ll go first. Greetings and salutations, Fury. Is there a problem here?”

“Deceitttt…” Fury snarled, “I was  _ hoping _ you might survive the subconscious. I’ve been  _ dreaming _ of paying you back for that little stunt you pulled decades ago, and it would have been disappointing to miss out on my revenge. Show yourself, and let’s end this charade.”

“I don’t believe I will,” Logan 1.0 said, adjusting his glasses. “With you in charge, there seems to be a lack of logical thinking in Thomas’s mind, and I feel duty-bound to fill in-”

Fury leaped forward, pinning Logan 1.0 to the wall, his sword at his throat, “STOP TRYING TO REPLACE ME!” he screamed.

“- _ temporarily _ ,” Logan 1.0 continued, ignoring the imminent threat, “until such time that Logan returns to resume his duties.”

“I  ** _AM_ ** LOGAN NOW!” Fury screeched.

“Are you?” Logan 1.0 asked, curiously. “Because you said it yourself, Logan’s greatest fear would be his friends turning on him. Therefore, it stands to  _ Logic _ ,” he grinned at Fury’s flinch, “that the reverse would be true: Logan would _ never _ turn on his friends, nor intentionally hurt them. The fact that you are willing to do so indicates that you are  ** _not_ ** yet fully integrated, and therefore,  _ you are  _ ** _not_ ** _ Logan _ .”

~

Roman clenched his fists then released them, stretching his hands. He let out a deep breath, then spun and hit the button on the wall, watching as a trap door opened, stepping back with wide eyes. Then his relief grew when his brother appeared, his eyes grew wide, then he ran up the stairs and nearly tackled his twin with a hug, holding him close.

" _ I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'm  _ ** _SORRY_ ** _ !" _ Remus cried, shaking his head. "I shouldn’t have run! I made a mistake!! But I just heard the screams coming from the Subconscious! Are you okay?! What happened?! Where's Logan?!" He fired questions, but Roman just shushed him for a moment, then pulled back.

"I'm fine, Re. And don't be sorry, it's okay,  _ I’m  _ okay," he said, stroking his brother's hair. His face then turned down. "As for Logan, however..." He spoke grimly, and Remus' eyes widened.

"Is he okay?!" The despair in his voice was heartbreaking.

Roman frowned. "Not exactly..."

~

Fury's eyes blazed with hatred at Logan 1.0, gritting his teeth. "I'm going to tear you to shreds, Deceit. That's hardly a punishment that fits your actions, but it'll be fun." His fangs glinted, the other three in the room standing with wide eyes, cowering together.

Logan 1.0 rolled his eyes. "No, you won't. I know you. And as long as you're not fully integrated, you can't harm me. You can't bring Logan to hurt his friends-"

Fury put his finger to Logan 1.0's lips, quieting him. "Ah, ah, ah, see that’s where you're  _ wrong _ . All this time that I've been building myself back up, I've become stronger. I don't need to be fully formed in order to force Logan to attack his friends. I can do whatever I want."

His hand shot forward, and Logan 1.0's eyes snapped wide as he choked, Fury's dagger plunging deep into his stomach. Patton shrieked, clinging to Virgil as Thomas started crying. Fury's evil cackle filled the room as he met Logan 1.0's eyes, smiling at the fear that now filled them.

"You knew this was going to happen eventually, Deceit. That someday I'd be back, and you wouldn't be able to stop me. It would always end like this. Don't you see? You were always destined to die at my hand," he twisted the knife, bringing another cry of pain from Logan 1.0. "So just accept your fate-"

"LOGAN."

Fury snapped his head up with wide eyes, everyone else matching the expression at the two Royal brothers that stood in the doorway. Fury narrowed his eyes.

"Remus. It's been quite a while." He snarled, and Remus nodded with a raised eyebrow. 

"Maybe it has, but I don't care enough to acknowledge. Now let go of my best friend and give me back my boyfriend, you dick." He growled, his morningstar suddenly materializing in his hand. "You're strong enough now to become your own person. So let Logan go and show your fucking bitch ass so I can beat the shit out of you." He spat.

Everyone stared at Remus with shock. They knew he was violent and vulgar, but never had they heard him that angry. Fury narrowed his eyes, then a slight smirk crossed his face. He ripped the knife from Logan 1.0’s stomach, dropping him to the ground, the man falling limply, weakly holding his hand on his badly bleeding wound, struggling to keep his eyes open.

Fury then took a step forward, opening his arms. "Take your best shot, Remus. Try to make me come out. Are you willing to do what it takes, or are you too afraid to even put a scratch on your precious little Logan?"

Remus smiled, like the cold glint of a knife in a dark alley. “You know me, Fury, and everyone here knows I  _ ‘scratched’ _ Logan our first night together. If I’m willing to  _ cut _ him for  ** _fun_ ** , what can you  _ imagine _ I’ll do to you?” 

“Let’s find out.” Fury said, and the battle was on.

Remus parried a sword thrust with his arm, ignoring the gash that opened up as a result as he swept the legs out from under his opponent. Fury scrambled back to his feet, crying out in pain as the morningstar slammed into his shoulder, leaving jagged gashes from the spikes. Fury struck out with his dagger, slicing across Remus’s chest and leaving his sash in tatters.

Skirting the edge of the battle, Roman grabbed an unconscious Deceit (still in Logan 1.0’s form) and dragged him to the relative safety of where Virgil, Patton, and Thomas were huddled in the corner of the common room. Patton grabbed some of the medical supplies he’d collected earlier and quickly went to work, using the bandages and his own powers to stabilize Deceit’s injuries. With Thomas nearly catatonic and two sides otherwise vulnerable, Roman and Virgil took up defensive positions in front of them, watching the fight carefully and ready to step in if Remus was defeated.

Fury kicked the morningstar out of Remus’s hands, and it went spinning across the room to embed in the far wall. With a maniacal laugh, Fury raised his sword above his head, ready to plunge it down, but Remus threw a ninja star, slicing open Fury’s wrist and causing him to drop his sword. Remus tackled him, straddling Fury and punching his face over and over again. “Get out,  _ get out _ ,  ** _get out_ ** !!!”

Fury just laughed, eyes glowing as red as the blood streaming from his nose and mouth. “You can’t make me. I may not be Logan  _ yet _ , but I’ve bonded to him now.” He rolled their bodies, pinning Remus to the floor, his grip tight despite the blood seeping from his wrist. “You can’t get rid of me. Not anymore, and never again.”

Remus struggled, unable to break free from Fury’s hold. Leaning down to Remus’s ear, Fury murmured, “How does that feel, Remus? Knowing that you’ll never be able to separate me and your precious boyfriend again? Knowing that any time you anger him, I could come out and make you pay for it? Knowing that every time you sink down on his cock, I’ll be hiding behind his eyes, fucking you through him?”

Remus' eye twitched, then in a flash, his fist shot up with such force that Fury jolted back, releasing his hands for only a second, but it was long enough. Remus jumped up and slammed Fury down onto the floor face-down, holding him with all the strength he possessed. Glancing to the side, he met his brother's eyes and with a twitch of his head he called him over.

Roman ran to help hold Fury down as Remus pushed Fury's head against the floor. "Shut. The Fuck. Up. You sadistic bastard." Re snarled, shaking his head. "You've always been a piece of shit, but now you've gone too far."

Fury snickered. "Really? This is where you draw the line? I would have thought I crossed it  _ ages  _ ago." He shrugged underneath them. "Oh well. Still, how much more do you think Logan can take? I can take as much damage as you can deal out and keep right on swinging, but Logan here? If you keep at it, he'll be dead in minutes." Fury said with glee, and Remus' eyes suddenly widened as he realized the truth behind that statement and as he saw the dark red that was beginning to seep out from underneath Fury's form.

Roman manifested a pair of irons and clapped them onto Fury's wrists, then he looked up at his brother. "He's right. Logan is going to bleed out if you do anything else. Honestly, if he were in control, he'd probably have passed out by now. Fury is the only thing keeping him alive." He said softly, making Patton's eyes go wide, looking up from bandaging Logan 1.0's wounds.

"No..." He whispered, then he snapped his head to Virgil. "Virge, you can put him into a sleep, right? Like, you can do that thing where you kind of sedate people?" He whispered, and Virgil's eyes shot open, then he jumped to his feet and ran over, shoving Remus out of the way. The Duke shouted in surprise, then he raised his eyebrows when Virgil grabbed Fury's head and placed his palm on his forehead. Fury struggled, then seconds later he went limp, his head dropping down, his eyes closed.

Everyone looked at Virgil with shock, the purple-haired boy letting out a hard breath. "He'll be out for a while, but we need to use that time smartly." He looked over his shoulder at Patton. "Good call on the sedative." 

Remus chewed on his lip, staring down at Fury with tears in his eyes as he now realized that the chances of getting his Logan back were almost nil. His breath shook, then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to meet his brother's eyes, then Roman pulled him into a hug, completely ignoring the blood from his brother's wounds that was turning his white uniform red. He was just glad to have his brother alive.

"It's going to be okay, Re...we'll find some way to fix this." He glanced up at Patton. "In the meantime, we have to make sure Deceit is functioning. He's going to have to take the place of Logic for a little while. Virgil, keep an eye on Thomas and just try to...I dunno...make sure he doesn't collapse into nothing, I guess?" He met his brother's eyes. "Remus and I will try to figure out how to fix Lo."

Everyone nodded, immediately taking in their responsibilities. Patton began to heal Deceit the best he could, the man still in Logan 1.0 form. He probably would be for a while. 

Virgil sat beside Thomas, rubbing his back and calming him with small hushes as Thomas shuddered, tears streaking his face.

Remus and Roman lifted Fury up, and Remus glanced to the side at his brother. "Where do you think we should keep him for now?" He wondered, and Roman shrugged, adjusting his hold on him. 

"Probably just put him in Logan's room and lock him in, seal off the escape so he can't leave. Besides, he'll be in the irons. He's not going anywhere anytime soon." Remus nodded silently, then Roman nudged him with his hand. "Hey, I know this hurts, but it's what we have to do. If we want to fix things, we need to get to work as soon as possible."

The twins carried Fury to Logan’s room, stripped the bed of everything but the fitted sheet, and laid out their captive, securing his wrists and ankles to the bedposts. Pulling a chair over to the bed, Remus collapsed into it, the stress and blood-loss finally catching up to him.

Roman perched on the arm of the chair, looking down at him. “You look like shit, bro.”

“You should see the other guy,” Remus laughed, tired. The brothers looked at Fury, still knocked out and immobile. Face softened with unconsciousness, it was hard to remember that it wasn’t Logan laying there. If this were any other night, Remus would be completely on board with tying up his boyfriend spread-eagle and having his wicked way with him, but as it was, Remus just wanted to be held by Logan’s strong arms again. “What are we going to do, Ro?” he whispered, broken.

“Well…” Roman said, and Remus looked up hopefully. His brother was a brilliant strategizer, second only to Logan himself, and if he had a plan, then Remus wanted to know about it. “We know he won’t leave Logan willingly, and trying to force him away didn’t work either.” Remus nodded morosely. “But I’ve been thinking about what he said during your fight…”

“That if I ever pissed off Logan, he’d come out and make me pay?”

“What?” Roman blinked, “No, not that. And that doesn’t even make sense anyway.”

Now it was Remus’s turn to be confused, “What do you mean, that doesn’t make sense?”

Roman flapped his hands, starting to get excited, “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I think Fury made the classic villain mistake, and the key to his downfall was in his evil monologue!”

“Which part?” Remus said, trying to remember what Fury had been blathering on about during the fight. To be fair, his mind kept going back to Fury talking about fucking him through Logan.

Taking a deep breath, Roman tried to explain, “The bit where he said he was fused to Logan, and it makes sense when you mentioned about him “coming out” again.” At Remus’s blank stare, Roman spelled it out, “In order to come out,  _ he’d have to go back inside first _ .”

“So…” Remus said, “We might not be able to pull Fury out, but you think Logan can put him in a box?”

“Not really,” hedged Roman, “Fury proved that he’s impossible to destroy completely, and he’ll escape any box we try to lock him in. I think Logan can control him, and I think once they fully integrate, Logan will have  _ complete _ control over Fury. I think merging them together is the only way to fix this. But… we need Logan to come back first.”

Remus bit his lip, “I think I have an idea of how to call Logan forward… but you’re not gonna like it.”

Roman sighed, "At this point, as long as it doesn't involve Lo bleeding any more than he already is, I'm willing to try anything."

"It definitely doesn't involve  _ Lo _ bleeding," Remus said, evasively.

Roman's eyes went wide, drawing back a little bit from his twin. "What in Shakespeare's name does  _ that _ mean? That has 'ominous death' written all over it."

"No death, ominous or otherwise." Remus chuckled darkly. "It's something I've done several times before - nothing permanent, so turn off those worried puppy eyes."

Roman raised his eyebrow in confusion, pondering all the many things his brother could have meant. 

Bleeding?... And it was something Remus had done multiple times before? Roman sighed. That didn't narrow it down much, that could be applied to a multitude of Remus' activities.

He stared at his brother, then his gaze caught the few white scars on his neck, and his eyes widened as it suddenly clicked.

"NO. YOU ARE NOT DOING THAT. I  _ FORBID _ IT, REMUS!!!"

"I thought you were willing to try anything?" Remus was touched by Roman's concern - there were times when he'd wondered if his brother would even care, and it was nice to know for sure. "Logan... he had much the same reaction as you when he found out. I  _ told _ him that it isn't permanent, but maybe... it would be enough to call him back." He looked up at Roman, suddenly shy. "Do you think it would be enough? That he loves me enough to come back and stop me?"

Roman sighed. "Remus, of  _ course, _ he would. He loves you more than life itself!! When we were in the Subconscious, we were attacked by some ROUSes, and although Logan was hurt, he refused to turn back. He was  _ dead set _ on finding you." Roman smiled. "You mean the world to him."

Remus felt his heart soar, then he bit his lip. He didn't want to worry his brother, but they didn't have many other options as to how they could bring Logan back.

Remus looked up at Roman with pain. "You know it's the best shot we have. I know you know that. You don't have to like it, but we don't have time to sit here with our thumbs up our asses."

Roman closed his eyes, took a long deep breath, then after a hesitation he nodded. "You...you're right. We don't have any other options." He admitted, then he put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "But Remus?"

His twin looked up with a questioning gaze, and Roman squeezed his hand on his shoulder. "Please be careful."

“Where’s the fun in that?” Remus joked, but he put his hand over Roman’s and squeezed back. “I will. But you’ll need to distract the others. Make sure that we aren’t disturbed. Maybe… come up with a plan, in case this doesn’t work.”

Roman bit his lip, then nodded. "Okay. I'll go and check in on Deceit, see how he's doing, and if anyone asks, I'll just tell them that you're watching over Fury. They won't question it. They know how much you care about Lo." He patted his brother's shoulder as he rose to his feet. "Good luck."

Remus nodded his thanks, watching Roman leave. He let himself relax for a moment, scoping out Logan’s room to set the stage and making a mental list of what supplies he would need. Hefting himself to his feet, he made a quick trip to his room for the items he’d need and popped back, making sure Fury was still dead to the world. Spreading out a tarp to protect Logan’s carpeting, he positioned the chair on the tarp and pulled a small side table next to it to spread out his supplies. Taking off his shirt, Remus cleaned the blood from his body and tried to mend a few of the worst gashes, leaving himself mostly intact except for the night sky still scabbed over his skin. The wounds that Fury had inflicted refused to heal very much, and he bandaged them as best he could. He then cleaned and patched up the wounds he’d inflicted on Logan’s body, and placed a pillow under Logan’s head so he’d be in the perfect position to watch Remus.

Sitting back down in the chair, Remus repositioned a few of the knives on the side-table and settled in to wait for Fury to stir.

~

Roman rose up in the light sides' common room to see Deceit laid out on the couch, sure enough still in the Logan 1.0 form, unmoving and eyes closed as Patton wiped his forehead with a cloth.

Roman walked over. "Why haven't you healed him yet?" He asked with partial disbelief and a very small hint of anger. Patton spun around.

"I've tried my best! I don't know what Fury did, but him hurting Dee somehow stifled my ability to heal him completely. So I've just been tending to his wounds and making sure that he'll be okay." Pat explained. Roman nodded, then sat down on the floor beside him, leaning back against the couch and rubbing Deceit's head with his hand.

"Remus is watching over Fury. You know how he'd never leave Logan." He said with a slightly sad smile. Patton nodded, then collapsed next to Roman, leaning on his shoulder.

"Ro?" His voice was soft, and the Prince glanced to the side.

"Yeah?"

Patton sniffed back some tears, but they began to fall anyway. "Do...do you think everything will be okay? Because even though I'm trying to hope, I just have this horrible feeling that it's all going to fail and we'll all be lost and Thomas will be damaged and nothing is going to ever be the same because we couldn't fix things and-"

Roman pulled Patton into a hug, quieting him, then he rubbed Patton's back as he felt the Moral side start sobbing. "Shh...it's going to be okay, Pat. I know it is." He glanced towards Logan's room.  _ 'It has to be...' _


	11. Whatever It Takes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus is desperate to get Logan back. At all costs.

Fury groaned, moving to rub his face, but he was unable to move his hands. His eyes snapped open as he felt the restraints that held him tight and he sighed angrily, then he sensed something and he turned his head to see Remus staring at him. Fury forced a smile.

"Well, aren't you a glorious sight to wake up to?"

“Wish I could say the same,” Remus said softly.

Testing his restraints again, Fury growled, “Just couldn’t wait for your boy toy to come back, could you? I know I said I was going to fuck you, but I didn’t think you’d be so eager to take me up on the offer.”

Remus picked up a knife, stroking the blade gently enough not to cut skin, not yet. Fury watched him, the silence starting to make him nervous. “Decided you couldn’t win in a fair fight, so you had to tie me up first?” Fury spat. “I told you, you can’t force me out of Logan. Cut me to ribbons, and  _ he’ll _ be the one who dies first.”

Ignoring the vitriol, Remus stretched out his right arm, forearm angled up. The sunshine streaming through Logan’s windows made Remus’s pale skin glow. Shirtless, with his arms no longer covered by his long sleeves, the hundreds of fine white scars that criss-crossed up and down his arms stood out in stark relief. “Logan?” Remus murmured just loud enough for Fury to hear, “I need you. Please. Come back to me.”

“Wait... What are you doing?” Fury demanded.

Slowly and deliberately, Remus drew the blade across his wrist. The cut wasn’t deep, but it was angry and red and blood began to drip down his fingers to splash against the tarp. “Logan, please come back.”

Fury began struggling in his restraints in earnest, “Stop it!”

Hissing at the sting, Remus made a new cut, this one a few centimeters above the first. “Please, Lo.”

“This isn’t going to work!” screamed Fury.

Another cut. “I need you.”

“Cut yourself up all you want!”

Another cut. “Lo, come back.”

“He’s  _ not _ coming back!”

Another cut. “Please.”

“Why would he come back to someone as weak and pitiful as you?!?”

Another cut. “Lo, I need you to stop me.”

“You’re sick! You’re disgusting!”

Another cut. “Please.”

“Pathetic! You’re a broken piece of shit!”

Another cut. “I love you, Lo.”

“He never loved you! How  _ could _ he?”

Another cut, and now blood was dripping in a steady stream, puddling below the chair. Remus was getting close to his elbow - but that was okay, he still had his upper right arm and his entire left arm to work with, and if he ran out of room he could start on his legs. “Come back.”

Fury gritted his teeth. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING HIM BACK!!! JUST GIVE UP!!" He screeched.

Remus took a calm breath as he sliced his arm again, moving closer to Fury. He stared deep into his eyes. "Logan, please. I'm just going to keep cutting, and if you don't stop me, I might die."

Fury just laughed. "You think he cares?! Why would he ever stop you if he'd be free of you?!"

Remus closed his eyes as he sliced his arm again, the next cut at his elbow. "Please, Lo. You're the only one who can help me."

Fury scoffed. "No one can help you. Not anymore, dipshit."

Remus bit back every remark and every urge to skewer Fury, knowing that his Logan was somewhere in there. Somewhere close.

He dug the knife further into his arm, letting out a cry as the blood came at a quicker rate. Remus groaned, sucking in a long breath as he twisted the knife into his arm again.

"L..Logan..." he said through gritted teeth. "Please." 

Fury just laughed.

When Remus withdrew the knife, a small shout of pain escaped his lips.

Fury twitched, his eyes going wide. "What...?" He whispered, and Remus snapped his head up with wide eyes to see Fury pulling against the restraints, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his teeth, muttering "Nonononono...."

A small hint of hope sparked in Remus' chest, so he bit his lip, raised his hand and stabbed the knife down into his upper arm, shouting in pain as the blade pierced through, bringing a great surge of blood that splashed onto the tarp. Remus' breath was growing hard, then Fury gasped, his eyes shooting open, and Remus felt his breath stop at the small flecks of blue appearing in Fury's irises. He jolted, shaking his head.

"NO!!" Fury yelled, arching his back as he tried to escape the binds. Remus watched with wide eyes. " _ NO! _ " The blue in his eyes was slowly growing more prominent.

Remus took a deep breath, then held the knife to his neck, pressing it against the skin and flinching at the warm touch of blood atop the cold steel.

"Logan...you have to stop me. Save me. Before I do it." He pushed the tip of the knife into his skin, drawing a small line of blood that slowly began to trickle down his neck.

Fury's head thrashed, then he snapped his gaze to Remus. 

" **STOP!!** "

Remus froze, his breath hitching as those gorgeous blue eyes stared back at him, the voice he lived for begging him.

"Logan…?"

“Please, love,  _ stop this _ ,” Logan babbled, tears streaming down his face. “Please don’t hurt yourself, I can’t bear it, please, baby, please  _ stop _ .”

“Logan!” The knife dropped from Remus’s hand as he leaped onto the bed, careless of the blood streaking the sheets. Remus was crying now too, cradling Logan’s face and desperately kissing him, “You’re back. You’re here. Thank God. Love you. Missed you. So much.”

Logan arched against him and kissed him back just as desperately, “I’m here. Love you so much, baby. I’m so sorry.” He twisted against his restraints, wanting to hold his boyfriend close. “Love, what happened?”

Stroking Logan’s hair, Remus asked, “What’s the last thing you remember?”

“You  _ left _ .” Logan said, “Roman and I were searching the subconscious. I heard your voice, and the next thing I know, the others are rescuing me, but then they turned on me…  _ stabbed _ me… Things got fuzzy after that, but then I heard you calling me.” He nuzzled against Remus, “You were  _ hurting _ yourself, and begging me to stop you.”

“And you did,” Remus said, kissing Logan again. “You came back. You stopped me.”

“But, where  _ was _ I?” asked Logan, “What happened while I was gone?”

Remus chewed his lips, his eyes shifting away for a moment then back, but it was enough to pique Logan's interest even more.

"Remus?"

Remus closed his eyes and sighed, then he stroked his boyfriend's hair. 

"Love, you were overtaken by Fury. Being overwhelmed by your biggest fear released him, and...well, many things happened, but what's important is that I have you back." He said, reaching to undo the bindings that held Logan to the bed. As he was leaning over him, he met Logan's eyes and flicked his eyebrows up. "Maybe tomorrow we can be in this position again, baby...but in a much better setting and mood." He said, bringing a smile from Logan, and as soon as the ties were all undone, Logan sat up and engulfed Remus in a tight hug, tears still raining down his face as he smiled, Remus pulling him into a kiss that was long-awaited.

When it ended, Logan drew back, his smile disappearing, putting his hands on Remus' shoulders, his gaze serious.

"Re, I know that the reason you're not telling me what happened is most likely due to the fact that I hurt someone- Well, Fury hurt someone. Am I correct?" He asked, and Remus nodded after a hesitation.

"Deceit. He and Fury have...a history...and he attempted to kill him. Patton is taking care of him now, his wounds still have him unconscious." He said slowly. Logan's eyes widened, then he pursed his lips. 

"Anyone else?"

Remus' eyes went wide, his gaze darting away. Logan raised his eyebrow, then upon seeing the bandages on Remus’ chest, something clicked in his memory. "You...I attacked you-"

"It wasn't  _ you _ , Lo! Fury had control! But... yes, we fought. I have to say, I did some pretty bad damage to you, but I've wrapped and treated your wounds as best I can..." He said, Logan only then noticing the reddened bandages around his shoulder. Remus sighed. "Fury challenged me that I wouldn't hurt him because I wouldn't put a scratch on you."

Logan screwed up his face with a slightly amused expression. "But...the first night we were together-"

Remus nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I know. That's what I said, and it went from there. He got me good a few times, but I didn't care. Still don't. All that matters," he stroked Logan's cheek. "Is that we have you back."

Logan eyed the wounds on Remus' arm, then took it in his hand and closed his eyes, slowly running his hand up Remus' arm, the Duke's eyes wider than dinner plates as the wounds disappeared as soon as Logan's hand passed over them. When every cut was gone, Logan opened his eyes with a smile, softly kissing the healed scarred skin and leaning forward to lean his forehead against Remus'.

"I couldn't bear to see you hurt."

Remus rubbed Logan's cheek with his thumb in small circles. "I love you so much." He pulled him into a kiss, so glad to have his boyfriend back in his hold, smiling as those strong arms he dreamt of held him close.


	12. Logan's Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The others are relieved that Logan is back. Logan starts to realize how much of an impact this is going to have.

Roman glanced at the clock on the wall - it was late, and most of the sides were asleep. On the TV screen, Moana was silently singing her heart out, closed captioning rolling across the bottom of the screen, but Roman wasn’t really watching it anymore. Virgil had taken Thomas back out of the mindspace and was keeping an eye on him while he slept. Patton was sitting on the floor next to the couch where Deceit was stretched out - they’d decided not to move him too much until after he’d had a chance to heal a little more. Pat had been keeping vigil with Roman until about an hour ago when he’d started nodding off, and Roman turned down the volume of the movie so it wouldn’t disturb him (Roman had started the movie marathon hours ago, turning the volume up to drown out the yelling coming from Logan’s room).

Now, the mindscape was quiet, and the muffled yelling had long since faded. Roman hesitantly considered it a good thing, hoping that the plan had worked. Standing up and stretching, Roman padded over to Logan’s door and quietly cracked it open, slipping inside. He braced himself for the worst - finding his brother cold and dead and bloodless in the chair next to Logan’s bed - and was deeply relieved to see the two figures entangled on the bed, deep in slumber. There was more blood than Roman would have liked to see in congealed puddles and dried splotches all over the tarp and under the chair, but the reward seemed to be worth the price paid. Roman crouched down and waved his hand, using his powers to make the blood and the tarp vanish. He picked up the now-sterile knife and set it gently back on the side-table, and looked around to see if there was anything else he could fix. Remus’s shirt was in a discarded pile of bloody tatters, and Roman removed the stains and repaired the tears, folding the shirt neatly and draping it over the back of the chair.

Nodding his approval, he looked around one last time and saw that Logan’s eyes had cracked open, deep blue irises watching him. “Hey,” Roman whispered, waving shyly. “Sorry to wake you.”

Logan smiled faintly, slowly glanced back at his boyfriend, then he very gently scooted forward and sat up on the edge of the bed, leaning his forearms on his knees. 

"Don't worry about it, Ro. You didn't wake me up. I've been nodding in and out of it for a while." He turned his head. "Re, on the other hand, was out seconds after his head touched the pillow." he sighed. "To think what he did just to get me back is incredible."

Logan then turned back to face Roman, who had sat down on the chair. "I'm sorry."

Roman raised his eyebrow. "For what?"

"For everything that I did. I remember now. In the Subconscious, I basically hunted you and Dee, now Deceit is barely functioning because of me, I could have killed my boyfriend, I probably  _ would _ have killed you and Deceit if I had found you, and all of this was just a huge mess." Said the neutral side.

Roman was quiet for a moment, then he sighed and shook his head. "No, Logan...no, no, don't blame yourself. That wasn't you. We all knew the day that Fury built himself up enough would be a day of pain. We  _ all _ knew that. And I am just so sorry that you were the one who had to be weighed down by it."

Logan sighed, nodding, then he took Roman's hand and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you. For all that you've done...for all of us. You care about me, you care about your brother, about Dee, Patton, Virge, Thomas...I swear, there are times when I admire how well you handle taking care of us."

Shaking his head, Roman waved off the praise, “You give me too much credit. I’d probably still be searching for you in the subconscious if Dee hadn’t shown up when he did, and I’m pretty sure he saved my life telling me to manifest the dragons and then hiding us from Fury. He’d be dead if not for Patton’s healing powers - there’s nothing I can do to help them, or to help Virge take care of Thomas.” He sighed, staring at his empty palms, “My skill set… it’s useful, but it’s also severely limited. I’m great at helping Thomas write videos, but when it comes to this… I can’t do much, but I  _ can _ try to take care of your guys while you do the important stuff.”

"Speaking of," Roman looked up, "Can I get you anything? Food? Water?"

Logan smiled. "You've forgotten your other incredible gift. Kindness." He nodded. "A glass of water would be fantastic, thank you, Roman." 

The Prince nodded and stood up, walking into the Common Area to grab Logan some water. The intellectual turned slightly, looking down at his boyfriend sleeping so peacefully, no doubt dreaming of some beautifully gorey situation where he was the blood-covered victor. Logan brushed his hair gently, sighing.

Staring at his shirtless torso, Logan smiled as he traced his finger over the constellations that marked Remus as his own that weren't under bloody bandages. Putting a hand to his own chest, he almost felt empty without the scar that Remus had branded him. His lips twitched up in a subtle smile. He'd just have to have Remus give him a new one.

The door opened again and Roman walked in with a glass of water, handing it to Logan then sitting back down. It was quiet as Logan took a few sips of the drink, then Roman sighed.

"Logan, are  _ you _ okay?"

Logan set the glass down on his nightstand, turning his head with a confused expression. "How do you mean?"

"I mean, how are you feeling with Fury and everything? How are you managing it? And...what does it feel like?" asked the Prince.

“I don’t know,” Logan answered honestly. “Most of it is still fuzzy, but a few bits and pieces are starting to come back.” He closed his eyes, trying to focus, trying to remember, but his head just started to pound. Logan rubbed his temples, “I’m… scared. I’m horrified at what Fury has done, at the lengths he pushed Remus to go to get me back, and I’m terrified that it’ll happen again.” He smiled crookedly at Roman. “I believe it’s mostly the lack of knowledge about Fury’s powers and triggers that are the driving force behind my current anxiety. Similar to Dr. Beck’s theory that it’s a patient’s distorted view of reality - for example, the inability to understand the objective causes and effects operating in the concrete situations facing them - that lies at the root of their psychological suffering.”

Roman blinked, offering an easy grin, “You’ve lost me, specs, but it sure is good to hear you sound like yourself again.”

Logan rolled his eyes, but smiled back fondly, “Dr. Aaron T. Beck - he’s the psychiatrist regarded as the father of cognitive therapy, and his pioneering theories are widely used in the treatment of clinical depression and various anxiety disorders.”

“Okay…” Roman nodded slowly, “I’m kinda following… What’s that got to do with Fury?”

“One of the most common types of psychotherapy is cognitive-behavioral therapy. The purpose of the treatment is to help an angry person recognize the self-defeating negative thoughts that lie behind anger flare-ups.” Logan explained, waving his hands animatedly as he talked.

Roman tapped his fingers thoughtfully, “So, you think that if you can predict what will cause Fury to 'flare-up', you can keep him under control?”

Logan shrugged, “It’s a working theory, and will need further testing before a functional plan can be implemented.” 

“Fury said…” Roman trailed off, and Logan waited patiently for him to continue, “He said he was bonded with you, that it was impossible to separate him from you.”

“He may have been telling the truth,” nodded Logan, “The transition I went through when I became a neutral side could have permanently merged us together, and it may be only a matter of time until we fully integrate.”

“I was thinking about that,” Roman said, “Integrating with Fury might be the only way to fully control him and to stop him from putting Thomas and the rest of us at risk again. But I wanted to know how  _ you _ felt. Do you  _ want _ to fully integrate with him?” Logan paused, considering, and Roman continued hurriedly, “If you don’t, I’ll find a way to separate you, Logan. I  **swear** it. I don’t care how impossible it is. Deceit managed to get rid of Fury once, and we can do it again. We’ll  _ keep _ doing it as long as we have to, for the rest of Thomas’s life. You don’t have to do this.”

Logan gave a pained grin. "Again, your kindness never ceases to amaze me. However, what you brought up... I'm not entirely sure  _ what _ I want. I do want to be able to be my own person again, but then I lose all of this," he gestured to himself and his new appearance. "And I don't want to lose this. It feels good. But I'm also nervous about what could happen if Fury and I fully integrate."

He then rubbed his chin. "You said that Dee was able to do away with him in the past?" Asked the scholar and Roman nodded. "Perhaps I shall see him when he wakes up and ask him to suggest a way. He knows Fury better than anyone, therefore he'd be the one with the most knowledge."

Roman leaned back in the chair, nodding. "Makes sense. I'm just happy to see you functioning again." He then sat up straight. "We should probably go see how Thomas is doing!" He said with a slightly panicked tone. "When Fury took over, he caused Thomas to basically crumble into the worst panic attack I have ever seen. Even Virgil was absolutely terrified. He's watching over him now."

Logan immediately rose to his feet and strode to his dresser, opening a drawer and retrieving a black polo shirt. After slipping it on he spun around with a nod. 

"Let's go."

Pausing by the bed, Logan leaned down to kiss Remus, carefully eluding the hands that clumsily reached out to pull him back into the warmth of the sheets. "Gonna check on Thomas, love."

"Mmmkay." came the sleepy, slurred response, "Wah m'cm w'th?"

"No, go back to sleep," Logan said, stroking his love's hair. "I'll be back soon enough. Dream of me?"

Remus hummed happily, snuggling back down into the pillows. Tucking the blankets around him, Logan gave him one more kiss on the forehead before pulling himself away.

He followed Roman as they sank out of his room and into Thomas's bedroom. Virgil looked up, the eyeshadow deep and dark under his eyes, but he smiled in relief to see Logan, "Welcome back."

Logan offered a small smile. "Apologies for being gone in the first place." His eyes moved to Thomas and his smile disappeared. "How is he?" His voice was more of a whisper now.

Virgil sighed, his hand on Thomas' shoulder. "Better. It'll take some time, Logan. What he went through, what Fury did to both him and Dee, it's going to take time to mend." He looked up to see the guilt in Logan's eyes. Virgil sighed, then took Logan's hand and sat him down next to him. "Logan, you need to get it out of your head right now that you are to blame.  _ This was not your fault. _ Had any of us been inflicted by Fury, no one would be in control either. That's what Fury does. He basically rips the power away from the host and takes the wheel, steering them any which way he wants. Typically violently."

Roman sat down on the floor, crossing his legs. "So, how did Deceit get rid of him years ago?" He asked, Logan's gaze moving to Virgil to await the response. Virgil sighed.

"Well, believe me, it wasn't easy. He and I had talked about it for days,  _ weeks _ even. We knew we had to do something, but we soon discovered that only Deceit was strong enough to face him down." Virgil lifted up his sweatshirt and his shirt to show a large, jagged scar that ran across his chest. Both Logan and Roman's eyes dilated in shock as Virgil closed his eyes, letting his sweatshirt fall.

"The thing about the wounds from Fury? They don't heal like normal wounds would. Deceit and Remus' wounds will leave permanent scars, not ones we can just vanish." He pursed his lips. "When he found out that Deceit and I were planning to entrap him, he basically took me 'hostage', you might say. Told Deceit that he'd kill me if he didn't back off. Of course, I told Deceit to ignore him, that we needed to do this, and so Fury just ran his sword right across my chest. Next thing I knew I woke up in Deceit's room in excruciating pain with bloody bandages covering my chest. I don't know what Deceit did, but when he got back, he told me that Fury was gone. I still have no clue how he stopped him."

Virgil looked up at Logan. "You need to understand that now that Fury is latched on to you, your life is never going to be the same. I hate to be that person, but if you don't keep a handle on things, people  _ will _ die." Said Virgil matter-of-factly. 

Logan didn't realize he had stopped breathing until his head began to pound, and he choked a bit, then he nodded to Virgil's point. "I have every intention of doing my very best and everything I can to keep Fury in check." 

Roman nudged Logan's leg with his boot. "And we're all here to help, Lo. Anything we can do, we'll do. We all want what's best for Thomas. Not only that, but what's best for each other, as well." He then smirked. "Besides. I'm pretty positive that from now on my brother isn't going to let you out of his sight after losing you." 

Virgil shrugged. "I doubt you'll mind, though." He winked, and Logan chuckled with a nod. He glanced to the side at the still sleeping man. 

"We should let him be. He needs sleep to heal and rejuvenate."

Roman yawned. "I think we should  _ all _ head to bed." He said as Logan stood and offered his hand to Virgil. 

"Agreed.”

Virgil and Roman sank out, headed to their rooms for some much-needed rest. Logan hesitated, taking one last long look at Thomas’s sleeping form, before sinking out. He rose up in the common room, wanting to check on Patton and see Deceit’s wounds with his own eyes before he headed back to bed.

Patton was still slumped next to the couch, snuffling softly in his sleep. Logan’s gaze was caught by the figure stretched out on the couch, the torn and blood-soaked clothing peeking out under bandages, and his own battered face resting on a cushion. He crouched down next to Patton, gently shaking his shoulder. “Hey.”

Snapping awake, Patton blinked several times behind his glasses before he recognized who had woken him. “Logan!”, Patton cried, and suddenly Logan had an armful of the puffball knocking him back on his butt. “I’m so happy to see you!”

“It’s nice to see you too, Pat.” He chuckled softly, returning Patton’s hug, “How are you doing?”

“Better now that you’re back!” Patton smiled, but the expression fell when he looked at Deceit. “And better than Dee’s doing, by a long shot.”

Logan took another look at the bandages, but it was hard to see the extent of the damages without removing them. “He looks like he’s pretty stable at the moment?”

“He is!” Patton assured him, “He’s a  _ lot _ better than he was! But… he hasn’t woken up yet or shifted back, and I worry.”

“It’s still a good sign. Give it time.” Logan rubbed Patton’s back, trying to comfort him. “The others neglected to mention that Deceit was wearing my form when he was wounded.”

Patton nodded. "Yeah. He wanted to distract Fury, so he took on your old form to prove that Fury wasn't fully you, that Logic wouldn't do what he had done, and I think he also did it just to get on Fury's nerves." He said, and Logan sighed, then tussled Patton's hair.

"Why don't you head to bed, Pat? I'll watch over Dee for a while. I owe him that." Logan said, and Patton nodded as Logan helped him to his feet.

"Okay, Lo. Thanks." He said through a yawn, shuffling off to his room. Logan moved to the couch, sitting on the edge and feeling his shoulders sag as he stared at the man before him.

It was odd to be looking down at himself when he was really looking at one of his friends, and it was even stranger that it was him from years ago.

Logan brushed Deceit's hair back, shaking his own head as the immense guilt flooded over him. He knew it wasn't really his fault. Fury had basically pulled him out of the driver's seat and jumped behind the wheel. 

But Logan still had a part of him that blamed himself.

"I'm sorry, Deceit. I swear, no matter what it takes, I'll make sure that we get you back. I'll take care of you."


	13. History Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus watches over Deceit for Logan. Deceit discloses some startling information.

While Deceit slept on, Logan began to plan. He made lists of his fears and any personal triggers that would make him lose his temper, and anything else he could think of that might bring Fury to the fore. He filled a notebook with contingency plans in case Logic or Deceit were taken permanently out of the picture. He plotted out scenarios to try to keep Fury restrained, and suggestions on how to mitigate the damage if those plans failed. Hours passed, and Logan looked up from his pile of notebooks and papers to realize Remus was perched on the arm of the couch, wrapped up in one of the blankets from Logan’s bed and quietly watching him with a soft expression.

Logan blinked his eyes tiredly, adjusting his glasses. "Hey, sweetie. I didn't hear you get up."

Remus nodded, then glanced to the side of Logan. "He's still not woken up?" He asked softly, and Logan shook his head. Remus stood up and walked over, sitting beside Logan and wrapping the blanket around his shoulders to pull him close.

"It's going to be okay. I know it will be. I can feel it. And I'm here to keep you safe and make sure that you stay YOU." Said the Duke, kissing Logan's forehead. 

Logan leaned into his boyfriend's touch, closing his eyes. "Do you ever wish things could just stop? Wish that life could just be simple, not the complex web that we live in?" He asked quietly, and Remus nodded. 

"Yeah. But life isn't like that, so we have to persevere."

Logan snuggled closer to Remus, laying his head on his shoulder. Moments later, Remus felt Logan's body relax, and he smiled as he gently turned and lifted Logan's sleeping form and carried him into his room, setting him down on his bed and tucking the blankets around him. He gave him a light kiss, smiling. 

"Sleep well, love. I'll keep an eye on our snakey boy."

He tread lightly out of the room and back to the couch, sitting on the floor as he stared at Deceit. The longer he stared, the more often he began to see the real Deceit flickering over Logan 1.0, but then his cover would be back.

Remus sighed. Fury had done quite a bit of damage, and he knew that Deceit's wound wasn't going to heal any time soon, and the scar would never go away. Fury's marks never went away. 

Remus scooted forward to rest his hand on Dee's shoulder, just hoping that his best friend would wake up. 

The room was too quiet, and it started to grate on Remus’s nerves. “You know, it’s funny.” he began to talk, just to break the silence. “If you asked me a few weeks ago to predict the future, I’d never have guessed that this would happen in a bazillion years.” He chuckled, “All my creativity, and I’d never have imagined having Logan, or fighting Fury. It seems like years have passed in the span of a few days.”

Remus squeezed Deceit’s shoulder gently. “Logan asked me about you, y’ know? Way back when this all started. I said… I said you weren’t my friend. I told him I didn’t have any friends, that I didn’t know what that was like. But… I guess that’s not really true, is it? You’ve always been there, as far back as I can remember. You were the first person I ever met, and you saved me from the subconscious. You’ve taken care of me more than I ever realized.”

He poked the side of Deceit’s face, missing the smooth scales that were currently hidden under the disguise. “You’re my best friend, Dee. You’ve done so much for me, but now I need more. I need you to wake up, and I need your help to fight Fury.”

Remus picked up Deceit’s hand and threaded their fingers together. “I need  _ you _ , Dee. Fury’s gonna come back, and I can’t fight him alone. I can’t protect Logan by myself. I don’t know what to do.”

A small sound escaped Deceit's lips, and Remus snapped his head up. Another choked moan made Dee's face twitch in pain, then his eyes barely opened, just a sliver of his one brown and one yellow eyes.

Remus' eyes, on the other hand, were wider than basketballs. "DEE?!" He squeezed his hand, then he felt the fingers interlocked with his slowly close around them. A pained and very faint relieved smile crossed Deceit's lips. 

"Remus..." he barely whispered, and his best friend nodded then leaned forward to pet Dee's hair, tears welling in his eyes.

"Yeah...yeah, it's me, Dee. I'm right here."

Deceit closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then in one hard move he pushed himself up to lean on the arm of the couch so his torso was at least slightly upright. He let out a hard breath from the action, his teeth clenched, then he opened his eyes again, wider now.

"FUCK, that hurt..." he groaned, then he heard a small chuckle from Remus. "What?"

"It...it's just good to hear your voice," Remus replied, and another smile crossed Deceit's face. He then glanced down at himself, raising his eyebrow, then he sighed and laid his head back.

"Right...I wasn't able to change back after Fury stabbed me...probably won't be able to for a while. At least I have my own voice," He muttered, then a hand on his shoulder made him turn.

"Dee, you're going to be okay. I promise." He then bit his lip. "You...you don't have to answer right now...but...I know you and Fury have a history," Deceit bit his lip in a flinch. "Can I ask what happened?"

Deceit was quiet for so long that Remus nearly gave up hope of getting an answer from him. He was just about to change the subject when Dee finally spoke. “When Thomas was a child, he… had  _ trouble _ fitting in. He was bullied, and he… reacted  _ badly _ .”

Remus frowned, “I don’t remember that?”

“You wouldn’t. It was shortly before you and Roman split.” He hesitated, and Remus could tell he was picking his words cautiously. He wondered if it was something to do with being in Logan’s form that made him so careful, or if it was the topic matter itself. “Fury grew out of control, and Thomas was getting into fights at school. It was hurting Thomas emotionally and socially as well as physically, so Morality, Logic, and I devised a plan to save Thomas by forcing Fury out of the picture.”

“Logan helped?” Remus said, “But Logan said he doesn’t remember either.”

“Of course he doesn’t,” Dee said with a self-deprecating chuckle. “He and Patton were suffering under the guilt. They knew they had done what was necessary to help Thomas, but they couldn’t deal with the repercussions, so they asked me to conceal certain memories from them. That’s why Fury blames me so much, because I still remember what happened.”

It felt like Deceit was still side-stepping something, like he wasn’t telling the whole truth. “Wait.” Remus said suddenly, “Where was  ** _I_ ** during all this? Creativity, I mean? What was  ** _he_ ** doing while you and Logic and Morality were having secret meetings to decide Thomas’s fate?”

Deceit hedged, “Creativity was…  _ compromised _ , at the time.”

“What does that  ** _mean_ ** ?” Remus demanded, and then it clicked in his head. “Did- was Fury the one to split us? Did he… did he  _ hurt _ us so bad that we had to split?”

“No.” Deceit winced, and Remus knew he was close.

“Then what?!? Tell me!!!”

Deceit took a deep breath, and let it out in a defeated sigh. “Fury and Creativity were together. Romantically.”

Remus fell back, stunned. It couldn’t be.

“They were like fire and gasoline.” Deceit continued, “They encouraged each other, fed off each other, pushed each other to new heights. Fury influenced Creativity’s art to become more violent, more aggressive, and Creativity guided Fury’s hand to more ingenious and vicious levels of cruelty.” Deceit sighed, “It was the little things. A broken vase here, a cookie stolen from a classmate there. Then Thomas started getting into scrapes. Small ones at first. I went easy on him - covered for him - helped him lie to adults so he could get away with things. Fury got wilder and wilder - uncontrollable. I didn't know what to do with him. Anxiety and I brainstormed for weeks trying to find a way to control him, but by that time Fury’s strength surpassed my own.”

“So you went to the others.” Remus murmured in shock.

“Morality made the ultimatum - he forbade me from covering for Thomas anymore. But that was only a symptom, not the core problem, and Thomas just got into more trouble for telling the truth. It was Logic who figured out how to drain Fury’s power. He knows the most about the sides, all our powers and weaknesses.”

This was it. This was the information Remus needed. “How did he do it?” 

“I don’t know.” Deceit said, to Remus’s dismay. “He wouldn’t tell me, and when I took his memories the information was wiped too. I warned him that Fury would come back, that it was stupid to forget how to fight him, but Logic was sure he’d be able to figure it out again if he had to.”

“Can’t you, I don’t know, give him the memories back? Restore them?” Remus asked.

Deceit shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way. I can’t fix the memories once they’re lost, or at least it’s never worked when I tried it in the past. Once they’re gone, it’s permanent.”

Remus slumped, disappointed. “So we’re back at square one.”

“Not entirely.” Deceit smirked a little, “I made him promise he would leave himself some clues in his room, hints to how to find the information again. I don’t know how useful it’ll be, but maybe it’ll help.”

Remus looked up at Deceit. “What happened to Creativity?”

“He was  _ livid _ . Together they’d been an unstoppable force, so we’d had to distract Creativity for the day - we sent him on a quest in the imagination, told him it was important to Thomas’s mental development that he take the day and run through an entire quest from start to finish. When he finally returned, Fury was gone, and the betrayal… tore Creativity apart. Literally.”

Blinking, Remus just stared at Deceit.

“We didn’t know what was happening at the time. We tried to explain to Creativity what had happened, how Fury was hurting Thomas and why we’d intervened, but… it was too much. Creativity collapsed and spent several days in bed, fevered and sick. We thought he was dying, but looking back, it must have been the physical response to his internal struggle. Part of him was loyal to Thomas and could see the light side’s perspective, and another part was loyal to Fury and was enraged by the light side’s actions. He ravaged himself with guilt and blame over Thomas’s behavior. He was grief-stricken, and in his pain and misery he dug out every part of himself that could be considered questionable and ripped it away, shoving it into the subconscious in an effort to make it disappear.”

It was starting to make sense now. Remus had always wondered why he’d been abandoned in the subconscious. “Where I was born.”

“Yes.” Deceit nodded. “You were too strong to dissipate, and instead formed into a full side. When I found you and the others found Roman, it quickly became obvious what had happened. Neither of you could remember anything, so we decided to only tell you the basics of what you needed to know, and let you remain in blissful ignorance. Morality, in particular, was afraid that telling you the truth would just result in you destroying yourself even more.”

“But it was a strain for Morality and Logic too, always watching what they said around Roman, always paranoid that Fury would come back. For all intents and purposes, they had just lost two sides of Thomas, and after a while, it got to be too much for them to hide their own grief and mourning. So they asked me to take the memories away, to let them all start over fresh, and I did.”

"You...you're saying that if it wasn't for Fury, Roman and I wouldn't exist?" His voice cracked mid-sentence, and Deceit nodded with remorseful eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to hear it like this. But it's time you learned the truth."

Remus felt his chest tightening beyond belief. When he and his brother had still been one, they were in  _ love _ with Fury?

He closed his eyes, wondering if he should tell Roman. 

Lifting his head, Remus met his best friend's eyes. "Should we tell Logan? Since he's the one who got rid of him before, maybe...maybe he can do it again?"

“We have to,” said Deceit. “Of all of us, Logan’s the only one who  _ could _ figure out how to do it. We’ll need his help no matter what happens, and he’ll need to know the truth if he’s going to be of any use.” Deceit sighed, “I knew this was coming as soon as Roman mentioned the fight with Logan. It’s no coincidence that fighting with Roman was the catalyst to Fury being released - on some level the passion of Creativity will always yearn for the intensity of Fury. It was only a matter of time before Fury came back, and I knew it was going to be one of you two that would spark it.”

Remus' breath hitched. "So....so Logan's feelings for me...are they really just Fury longing for Creativity?" He asked with a shake to his voice.

Deceit considered Remus for several long moments, his eyes flashing to their normal color before reverting back to the disguise. “ ** _No._ ** ” he finally said, firmly, brooking no argument. “It’s possible that those latent feelings exacerbated the issue, but there’s been something between you and Logan for a long time, long before Fury came back into the picture.” Remus still looked unsure, so Deceit pressed him, “Is Logan’s dark side the only reason you’re attracted to him?”

“No!” Remus exclaimed, “I mean, I guessed that he had a temper, and he is  ** _hot_ ** when he loses control, but that’s… that’s just a bonus. That’s not why I fell in love with him. He’s smart, and he’s kind, and he gets so excited about the things he loves.” A small fond smile was forming on Remus’ face. “He’s a dork, and he works so hard to make Thomas better. He looks at the world in a way I’ve never imagined, and he sees things in me I didn’t think were there, things worthy of his love and attention. He… he doesn’t try to change me.”

“There you go.” Deceit said with a smile. “You’ve become so much more than just “half” of Creativity, you’re a full and completely whole side now, and Logan sees that and appreciates you for who you are. If those feelings had stemmed from Fury, he wouldn’t see you as a whole person, he’d try to change you, try to merge you back together with Roman so he could have his whole Creativity back.”

Remus' eyes sparkled, then he sighed with a smile. "We should get to sleep. We'll tell Logan in the morning." He then paused. "Hey, Dee, does my brother know? Does he know what happened?"

“I don’t think so.” Deceit said, “But the memory loss was a result of your split, not any of my doing, so it may not be permanent. It’s possible that either of you could eventually recover part or all of your memories from before the split.” He bit his lip, considering, before saying, “Virgil knows.”

“He does?” Remus asked, thinking back. Virgil had always been distant to him, even when he was a dark side like them. He’d never been  _ unfriendly _ , but he’d never been close either. Was that because Virgil remembered Creativity, and only saw the worst parts of the old side in Remus?

“Yes. It’s his job to protect Thomas from all threats, both internal and external, and wiping his memories would have severely affected his job. So he and I remembered, and the others forgot.”

Remus nodded. "Thank you for telling me, Dee." He then smirked. "Or should I call you Logan 1.0?" He joked.

Deceit narrowed his eyes. "Shut up."

Remus chuckled then stood up. "Are you going to be okay out here on your own or do you want me to stay with-"

"I'll be fine, please, just go cuddle your boyfriend." Deceit interrupted him. Remus cocked an eyebrow, then grinned.

"Will do. G'night, Dee." With that he turned and walked back to Logan's room, quietly closing the door behind him. He very gently climbed over Logan to lay behind him, wrapping his arms around him and pulling the nerd close.

Logan let out a little sound in his sleep, fidgeting a bit, but he calmed with a smile as Remus ran his fingers through his hair slowly.

"Shh, baby. I'm here. Sleep, and I'll see you in the morning."

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and let us know what you think? This is our first collab and we're excited to post it!


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